Whispers in the Wind
by harumichi98
Summary: Set a few years after the battle with Sailor Galaxia, peace has finally settled over Tokyo... for almost everyone. Haruka thinks she has lost Michiru until the wind brings them together again. But after all these years can the damage be fixed?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey y'all! Just wanted to put in a quick note that even though this is based in Japan I will not be including the use of honorifics. I am white as snow and afraid if I try to add these I will get them entirely wrong and offend someone/look stupid. This takes place a few years after the final battle in Sailor Stars with Galaxia. Most characters are based on the anime. Characters are not mine, but the plot sure is! Enjoy!

_You're going the wrong way._ Haruka shook her head making her short blonde locks messier than they already were. For the past few days Haruka had been hearing what sounded like voices in the wind urging her to go in a different direction. She could be doing anything from walking to a coffee shop to driving like a maniac down the highway when her ears tingled with the sound of the wind speaking to her.

Haruka Tenoh was no stranger to the wind- as Sailor Uranus she was the wind soldier. But, times had changed and after the final battle with Sailor Galaxia there had been an undeniable veil of peace that quietly fell over Tokyo. It had been since then Haruka had changed into Sailor Uranus, and almost just as long since she even touched her Lip Rod. Now Haruka lived her life just as that- Haruka Tenoh. To others she is seen as a tomboy who could make any girl weak to her knees and any guy jealous of her charm on other women. She is a professional racer who can have anything, and anyone, she wants.

Ignoring the directions of the wind Haruka shoved her hands into the pockets of the blazer she was sporting and continued walking straight. Something deep inside her stirred, urging her to listen to the words she was ignoring. _Guess the wind soldier in me wants me to listen_. The blonde thought to herself. Arriving at her apartment building Haruka opened the front door and got into the elevator. Upon entering she pressed the button that would take her to the top floor and to her apartment. The elevator dinged signally she had arrived and Haruka gratefully opened the door to her apartment before stepping inside.

"Today was tiring." Haruka whispered to herself under her breath recalling the photoshoot she had attended for her latest racing contract. She looked around her apartment that was decorated with modern style furniture, the best appliances, and a few beautiful paintings hung here and there. To top it all of there was an almost picture perfect view of downtown Tokyo through a large window in the living area. For anyone who had the chance to look at the apartment, they would gush about how perfect it was. People only tend to see what's right in front of them and not what is missing. If only they had looked a little deeper would they noticed the lonely atmosphere that shrouded the suite. Nothing in the apartment was living but Haruka, and sometimes that wasn't even true.

After another minute of silent thought Haruka stood up and walked to her bedroom. There waiting was her king size bed she couldn't wait to climb into. The blonde silently slipped her shoes off with her blazer, undershirt, and pants following. Crawling into bed with just her undergarments Haruka slid underneath her comforter. After tossing and turning for a few seconds she found a comfortable position. Green eyes closed and the racer let sleep take ahold of her.

_You're going the wrong way_. Haruka was back at the same spot she was earlier. She looked around and blinked a few times, wondering if she was so tired that falling asleep had merely been a vivid imagination. She chuckled to herself as she began to walk forward just as she had done before.

_Turn around. _The hairs on the back of Haruka's neck pricked up as the voice was louder this time and sounded almost familiar. Her green eyes looked around nervously. There were no other people out on the sidewalk which was strange for Tokyo. The racer swallowed her uneasiness as if it was a bad tasting medicine and trekked forward.

_Why won't you listen? _The voice was much closer this time, yet it was gone as quick as the wind. Footfalls became more frequent as Haruka picked up her pace. She could see her apartment building. Haruka felt a burning sensation on the back of her head as if she was being watched. She should have been at her building by now but every step she took didn't bring her any closer to the building. "What's happening?" The wind carried her soft words away and brought a response back.

_Why won't you turn around? _At the same moment Haruka heard the words 'turn around' it was as if a storm blew her away. A blue sky quickly became dark grey and leaves funneled around the former wind senshi. Haruka protectively put her arm up to block any debris from hitting her face. Frantically looking around she couldn't find any way out of the whirlwind. Her legs felt as heavy as the past few years of her life and she couldn't move from her spot. Haruka struggled to break the invisible chains to no avail. If only she could just…

_TURN AROUND!_

And so she did. The scene in front of Haruka caused her breath to hitch in her throat. What should have been downtown Tokyo was replaced by a completely different environment. A vast ocean now lay in front of her at the bottom of a cliffside. The sky that was only moments ago turning sinister was now a beautiful canvas for the sunset. It was as if an artist painted a gradient of purple, pink, and yellow. Haruka smiled at the beautiful scene before her. As her eyes continued to analyze the sky her ears pricked up to a voice in the distance.

"It's a secret!" A calm but distant voice declared. _Is that who I think it is?_ Haruka thought to herself, suddenly getting a bit nervous.

"You're sly!" A younger voice responded back. This voice sounded just as familiar as the first. _It can't be… _Haruka turned towards the sounds and she instantly wished she hadn't. What lay about 20 meters away was a scene that was all too familiar to Haruka. A yellow convertible, _her_ yellow convertible, was on the side of the road overlooking the sunset. Two silhouettes sat in the back of the car. Haruka felt her stomach do a flip as she realized the two voices belonged to Setsuna and Hotaru- two people she hadn't seen in a while.

Haruka slowly willed herself not to cast her eyes more to the left knowing what she would gaze upon, but at this moment her heart won over her brain. There were two more silhouettes sitting in the front of the car. Haruka recognized one of them as herself, and the other one as-

"They're going home!" A third voice spoke up and Haruka felt like she had been stabbed with a knife. The final silhouette and new voice belonged to Michiru.

Haruka could hear her own heart beating in her ears and the rest of the conversation was lost to the rushing heartbeats. It didn't matter anyways since she had lived this own scene herself a few years ago. She stared at the aqua haired girl from a distance and willed herself not to cry. A gentle burst of wind carried a sweet scent of vanilla mixed with sea water. Haruka bathed in the scent as it was the scent of Michiru- the love of her life, her best friend, her past, life's greatest gift! And her biggest loss.

Haruka shot straight up as the scene from her past faded away. She was becoming more acquainted with reality as she looked around her dark bedroom. "It was only a dream." She mumbled aloud, her voice mixed with relief and a tinge of sadness. A quick glance at her bedside clock showed it was still going to be a while before the sun came up, but Haruka was wide awake.

The realistic dream brought back thoughts to the forefront of her mind Haruka thought she had done a damn good job of suppressing. After that same night in her dream Haruka only saw Michiru once more. It was a memory that pained Haruka so deeply. When Michiru left she took a part of Haruka with her that had yet to return. A few years had passed since then but the gash in the racers heart was freshly opened.

"God damn it!" Haruka yelled and slammed her fist down on the wooden table at her bedside. She forcibly wiped tears from her eyes as they threatened to spill over. Throwing the blanket to the side the tomboy walked into her bathroom and stared at her reflection. What stared back was the lifeless person she began to know after her life lost color. Specifically, a blue color. Green eyes that used to sparkle in the mirror were now even duller than usual after being reminded of her lost love.

Trying to distract herself from her racing thoughts, Haruka walked back into her room and sat at a small desk in the corner that adorned a laptop. She flipped the computer open and started looking at the new F1 rankings to see if she would have any competition in the coming season. Old names and new names blurred together as Haruka scanned the pages. None of the information was actually processing with her due to the fact more painful feelings were emerging.

Haruka had always loved cars and racing, so it was no surprise that after her soldier duties ceased she stayed with what she was comfortable with. Being alone had given Haruka fame, fortune, and a spot in the public eye, but no one to share this with. Oh how desperately had she wanted to share this with someone, but instead she used it as a coping mechanism. Flying fast down the road with no roof on the car gave Haruka something to focus on. Instead of focusing on what could have been she was focusing what was right in front of her. As time went on it became sort of a routine to simply put herself on autopilot. Very rarely did she break this except for the occasional night when loneliness would hit Haruka so hard she would go to a bar if only to be alone with company.

In the beginning, at every racing event Haruka's eyes would scan across the crowd. Green orbs searched though the sea of people for the girl who was the sea soldier to no avail. After a while the racer gave up. She thought if she was fast enough maybe she could race away from her past. In that race, Haruka still hadn't found the finish line.

After a few more hours of mindless internet surfing the sun was finally beginning to peek up from behind the clouds. Haruka rubbed her eyes from lack of sleep and decided to go for an early morning walk. Still only in her undergarments she pulled a thin sweatshirt over her head and put on simple black sweat pants and running shoes. As Haruka made her way down the elevator and outside she marveled at how peaceful everything was before everyone began to make their way to work.

Haruka breathed deeply as she stepped outside to take in some of the fresh air. _I really needed that. _She mused to herself enjoying the way the air helped clear her head. Walking briskly the racer began to walk towards a park near her apartment building. Haruka enjoyed walking in the early morning whenever she could as she saw it as a way to help herself relax. Ten minutes later and the park was in her line of site. As she was approaching the air began to stir. Haruka shivered as her sweatshirt did nothing to protect her against the ominous breeze.

_Turn around_. Haruka froze as if she were a statue. The wind called to her again but she wasn't falling for it this time. _Turn around_. The tomboy picked up her pace to a slight jog but the wind had no issues keeping up. _Turn around_. Haruka was running through the park now, over a wooden bridge, down narrow paths, anywhere to keep herself going. _Turn around_. No matter how fast she ran, it was inevitable. _Turn around_. Just like in her dream, she did.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Haruka yelled as she spun around answering the call of the wind. The air stood still but the answer to her question was standing only a few meters away from her. Haruka looked like a deer in the headlights and had to remind herself to breathe. After a few tense moments the blonde let her shoulders relax a bit and muttered "it's just another dream." To herself before smirking and wondering how foolish she must be. The blonde turned to walk away but was stopped by someone crying out,

"Wait!" Haruka looked at the girl who cried out, green eyes locking with blue. "Haruka!..." the blue eyed girl whispered the name as if it was a word she wasn't allowed to say. She looked at the blonde with a gaze she was sure was full of regret. Haruka narrowed her eyes at the figure who the wind brought her to. The smaller girls name rolled off her tongue as it had a thousand times before, like a sweet drop of honey.

"Michiru."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright folks, time for chapter 2! I am always looking for feedback/constructive criticism! Let me know what y'all think about the story so far and what direction you'd like to see it go in. I'm just writing this as it comes to me. Onwards!

Haruka and Michiru stared at each other, neither one moving a muscle. Green eyes scanned their blue counterparts as they searched for answers. Michiru's eyes were as deep as the ocean and could be read like a book, but Haruka suddenly couldn't remember how to read this foreign language. For the first time in her life the former wind senshi was at a loss for words.

"It's really you, Haruka?" Michiru timidly broke the silence between the two. A small smile graced her lips and her eyes began to soften as she addressed the blonde.

"Uh yea, I guess so." She replied. Before Haruka had time to react the aqua haired girl had closed the distance between them. Gentle hands shyly wrapped themselves around the blonde's waist. In a matter of seconds Michiru had meshed her body comfortably with Haruka's. The smaller girls head lay in the crook of the taller girls' neck while the hands around her waist pulled the racers body into hers.

It had been years since Haruka had hugged the other girl, but it was all too natural for her chin to rest atop the aqua curls. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Michiru's shoulders. A fragrant vanilla scent mixed with sea water wafted up and tickled Haruka's nostrils. Michiru, the former senshi of the sea, always carried a scent of the sea with her. This was an all too familiar scene for Haruka as suppressed memories of Michiru began to fight their way to the surface of her mind.

As if a switch went off, Haruka went rigid. She pushed the smaller girl away from her and stared at her with malice. "What the hell are you doing here, Michiru?" there were many more questions Haruka wanted to ask, but for some reason this is the one that slipped through her lips. Michiru took a step back and looked sadly upon the girl in front of her.

"I didn't know I wasn't allowed to be here." She stated coolly in response. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Tsk, typical Haruka. Always answering someone's question with her own." Michiru giggled. "I was merely asking that because I was curious."

Although she seemed cool on the outside, Michiru felt her stomach churning. After years of being a professional violinist she had mastered the art of having a poker face. Almost any news could grace her ears and her smile wouldn't falter for a second. Even faced with the situation she was in now the younger girl wouldn't let her demeanor change.

"You have no right to ask me any questions after what you did to me!" Haruka yelled to the girl in front of her.

"I can't disagree with you there." Michiru responded. Her blue eyes cast downwards towards the ground, knowing that if she looked at the girl in front of her any longer, she might let herself slip.

"So, why now? After all of this time, why show up now?" Haruka practically spat these words out not being able to control her anger.

"I don't know." The answer came out as a whisper. After a few heartbeats of silence Michiru willed herself to look back up into the eyes of Haruka. Her green eyes were a dark, dense forest of pain. A tinge of saltiness touched the corner of Michiru's mouth, and it was then she realized a tear had fallen silently down her cheek.

"You did this to us. If you want to cry, then go throw yourself a pity party. My schedule is full, so I won't be able to make it." Michiru was hurt at these words but she had no reason to question why Haruka was treating her this way. She watched as the blonde turned around and walked away from her. It was when Michiru could no longer see the short blonde locks that her perfected smile finally faltered.

Haruka couldn't believe that she let herself get so close to Michiru. _After all of this time she doesn't deserve to be able to fall back easily into my arms. Why did I let myself do that?_ She thought to herself as she left the blue haired girl behind. Haruka was the type of person who could break hearts as easily as a child could snap a twig. Even with her tough exterior the ocean eyed girl had managed to break through her. Although it may have been for only a few seconds a loss was a loss.

Tokyo began to wake up around Haruka as she walked aimlessly throughout the park. The sun shone brightly through the leaves of the trees sending shadows that danced across the girls' path. Trying to distract herself from what had happened mere minutes ago. Green eyes analyzed the people who began to populate the park around her. Compared to herself, Haruka thought they looked a lot more relaxed than she did.

"Probably didn't run into an ex this morning." She morbidly said aloud, and then laughed at the fact she had inadvertently categorized Michiru as her ex. The racer was about to begin to jog back to her apartment when a slight breeze wrapped itself around her head.

_She's much more than that._ Was the response from the wind that could apparently read her thoughts. A shiver went through Haruka's body upon hearing those words. As much as she wanted to tell herself she only shivered due to the cold, she knew the shiver was brought upon due to the truth behind the whispered words.

Later that same day after Haruka took a much-needed nap she found herself at a small bar a few streets over from her apartment. She considered herself a regular at this place and would trade it over any busy night club with flashing lights any day. Many people with her similar financial standings may have preferred something higher end but choosing a lower end place gave her space away from other people who may recognize her. Or, so she thought.

Haruka occupied a table alone in a slightly dimmer corner of the room. Every so often she would take a sip from the glass she held. Her eyes scanned around at the fellow individuals and she wondered if any of them had stories to tell. After a few more moments of losing herself in thought she flagged the bartender down and held up her empty drink. The bartender gave a small bow before beginning to make another drink.

If Haruka had been paying attention she would have noticed a lull in the general volume of the bar as the front door opened. A lighter skinned woman silently slipped into the bar and almost instantly every pair of eyes were upon her. She was dressed in a simple yet alluring short black dress. A white coat accentuated her curves with black heels to tie an all-around elegant look together.

Blue curls bouncing with each step she took, Michiru quietly slipped into the empty seat in front of Haruka. "Interesting place of choice." She remarked and began to make herself comfortable in the chair. The blonde girl jumped in her seat, not aware of the newcomer's presence until now.

"How the hell did you find me here?" Haruka asked coolly trying to ignore the fact she was so startled her heart was almost leaping out of her chest.

"I know people." Michiru tilted her head to the side with a playful smirk.

"And if you knew me, you'd know you should stay away from me." At this moment one of the staff members dropped Haruka's new drink off to her.

"Would you like anything to drink?" the waitress addressed Michiru.

"I'll take whatever she's having, thank you." She responded.

"If you're making your way around again, I'll take a shot of tequila too." Haruka shot a side eyed glare at Michiru knowing this might be a long night. "On second thought, make that two. And keep my drinks coming." She added flatly. The waitress simply nodded and went to fulfill their requests.

"Hm, drinking heavily?" Michiru inquired.

"You apparently won't leave me alone so I'm going to have to endure this somehow." Haruka finally looked Michiru in the eyes and sighed in defeat.

"I didn't take you as the type of person to come to this bar." Michiru stated as the waitress came back around with their drinks. Almost immediately as the shot glass hit the table Haruka had picked it up and downed the whole shot. With harsh movements the blonde slammed the glass down on the table causing the girl in front of her to jump.

"This is the type of bar you go to when you want to be lonely in the company of other people. You don't know what type of person I am anymore. Two years is a long time for someone to change." Green eyes shot daggers into blue eyes. Michiru was losing the battle to keep her smile on so she opted to take a quick sip of her drink.

"I didn't take you as the type of person to order girly cocktails either, but I trust the years have treated you kindly." Haruka couldn't help but smirk as the other girl mentioned her choice in drink.

"What can I say." She stated flatly unable to keep away from the ensuing awkwardness. Waves of tension flooded between them, and unfortunately the sea senshi was only trained to tame waves of water. Haruka downed her other shot as Michiru nursed her own drink. The two empty shot glasses were whisked away as the waitress replaced them with full ones. Sensing the tension, she didn't say a word before leaving them alone again.

"So how are y-"

"Oh, cut the bullshit Michiru. If you cared about how I was you wouldn't have left me alone for these years." Haruka cut the younger girl off before she was finished.

"I know I…" Michiru trailed off as a small finger was put up as a sign to stop talking.

"Not only me, but the others too. Usagi, the other inners, Setsuna, and Hotaru. We were a _family_." Haruka emphasized. "You left us alone. You had relationships with these people. Do you understand how hard it was for Hotaru to grasp that you weren't there anymore? She might have been much wiser than her appearance let on, but an absence affects everyone." Haruka slammed her hands down on the table causing the glasses to rattle.

"I guess you want an explanation from me, huh." Michiru said as more of a statement rather than a question. Her smile began to waver noticing that the blonde girl in front of her had finished another shot. She had imagined many different scenarios of when she finally came back to Tokyo, but a tipsy racecar driver wasn't one of them. Fate was funny like that.

"If you asked me that a few months I might have said yes, but I'm over it now. I had no intentions of ever seeing you again, so I made my peace with it." Haruka's words were as cold as ice. The blonde was getting extremely agitated at the situation. "This doesn't even help anymore." She referred to the alcohol and downed the last shot.

Their waitress was about to come back around again but Michiru silently put her hand in the air to signal her to not come any closer. She knew that the older girl may start a scene if she ingested anymore alcohol.

"What would you like me to say?" Michiru offered her, willing the other girl to try and lead her into the right direction.

"You said all you needed to before." Haruka slightly slurred back feeling the effect of four shots drank in rapid secession beginning to flow through her blood. "Actions speak louder than words, so just leave it in the past. Pretend like you never saw me." With those words she began to stand up from her chair.

A bit wobbly on her feet, Haruka had enough confidence that she could still make the short walk to her apartment. Before she could fully walk away from the table a soft hand grabbed her forearm. Michiru stopped her from going any further with enough force to show she meant business, but gently enough to where she didn't hurt the older girl. Haruka tried to move her arm away to no avail.

"You had too much to drink Haruka. I'm not letting you leave like this." Michiru gently began to stroke her thumb back and forth on the other girls skin in a silent plea to stay. The girl standing stiffened at the action at first, but then relaxed. As quickly as she started, she stopped the movements and for some reason Haruka felt… disappointed?

"I don't have to do anything for you." Haruka argued back in a way that might rival Chibiusa and Usagi's arguing skills. The childish response earned an eyeroll from the pair of blue eyes.

"Then do it for yourself, your public image- how would your publicist like to see drunk pictures of you in the tabloid tomorrow?" Michiru quipped back. Slumping her shoulders in defeat she sat back down.

A tense air surrounded both of them again. Michiru knew that for anything she had to say Haruka would have something to say back. Not to say she didn't blame the older girl, but it was very hard to hold a decent conversation that way. After many deep breaths the now practically drunk girl let the over two year old question tumbled past her lips.

"Why did you leave me?" As much as she wanted the question to come off as cold as everything else, she said, there was no denying the emotions loaded in the question. Sadness, anger, betrayal, misery- these flowed off of Haruka in waves that Michiru now found herself drowning in.

"Haruka, I don't think this is a good time for me to explain this. You're drunk and asking a very private question in a very public place." Haruka crossed her arms over her chest as if to protect herself from something but gave a curt nod in response. She couldn't disagree with the younger girl in this matter. "Allow me to escort you home." Michiru offered with a smile.

Knowing she truly had no room to argue, Haruka placed enough money on the table to cover all of their drinks and a nice tip. No words were spoken between them as both girls stood up and began to walk to the door. A small smile played on the smaller girls lips as she finally got a good look at Haruka. The older girl was wearing a light blue button up with the top two buttons undone. Classy black dress pants with black dress shoes completed her look.

"You know a picture might last longer." Haruka's sudden words jolted Michiru out of her thoughts. A faint red tint crept to the younger girls face when she realized she had gotten caught for staring. Both of them exited the bar and began their walk.

It was later in the evening now. Haruka guessed it had to be around 11 pm as the streets were awash in lamplight. The night air was crisp but relaxed, creating a comfortable silence between the two girls.

"I'm surprised you don't know where I live either." The blonde broke the silence. "You seemed to know me whereabouts already today."

"Maybe I do, but I'm just being courteous and letting you lead the way." Michiru teased back. This caused them both to giggle a little bit. Feeling a burst of confidence, the younger girl brought up her arm to link with her counterpart. She could feel the lean muscles beneath her fingers noting that Haruka hadn't lost any of her strength. Michiru smiled as the older girl didn't flinch at her touch.

A few more minutes passed before Haruka stopped in front of her building. "We're here." She stated and pulled ahead. Michiru's arm fell back to her side but Haruka could still feel where her fingers had been only moments ago. The trance between them had been broken somehow. When they reached the elevator Haruka and Michiru stood inside at an obviously awkward distance apart. Once again, then tension was thick.

Unbeknownst to each other both girls had hearts beating ridiculously fast, but either one of them couldn't pinpoint why they were so nervous. The elevator halted and Haruka rushed out with Michiru following. The taller girl quickly unlocked her apartment and was trying to shut the door.

"Are you going to let me in?" Michiru asked incredulously, sticking her foot out to block the door from closing.

"I thought you only wanted to escort me home. So, thank you, escort." Haruka addressed Michiru and bowed like she would to any other staff member after completing their duty.

"I guess you're right. Sorry to have overstepped my boundaries." The younger girl whispered embarrassingly as she realized her mistake. Haruka could hear the hurt in Michiru's voice. For some reason, something inside her switched. She opened the door a bit more.

"O- on second thought it's okay. You can come in. It's late anyways and I don't want to be responsible if anything happened to you on the streets." Haruka stammered almost not believing the words that came out of her own mouth. With that, she turned and walked away leaving the door ajar. Michiru felt butterflies in her stomach as she crossed the threshold into the apartment.

Michiru's eyes scanned around the apartment. It was a nice place, but at the same time it seemed so lifeless. There were no signs of any human inhabitant here. Everything was in perfect order, but with no personal items it looked more like a showroom than a livable space. She opted not to make a comment about this and simply followed the older girl into her bedroom.

"Thank you for having me." Michiru smiled at Haruka.

"Well, make yourself comfortable." Haruka made a gesture to her large bed. "I need to go shower." With that being said Michiru was left by herself in the bedroom. The younger girl took a seat at the edge of the bed not knowing what to say.

Haruka opened the door to her shower before stepping in and placing the water to a comfortable temperature. _Why did you let yourself get into this situation?_ She grumbled to herself as the water washed over her body. Alcohol had definitely clouded her judgement.

Michiru might have not been able to notice, but Haruka was trying very hard to not act as if the alcohol was affecting her as greatly as it was. She cursed herself for letting her guard down. _Today was just full of surprises. _The girl grimaced and turned the water off. Although she felt clean the water hadn't gotten rid of what faced her when she went back into her bedroom. The problem at hand presented itself in the form of Michiru Kaioh.

Looking at herself in the mirror the blonde dried her short locks with a small towel, using another to dry off her body. Not thinking clearly Haruka only put on boxers and a white cotton t shirt before reentering the room. Michiru looked up and felt her cheeks get warm at the other girl. Even after all this time it was so natural for them to be comfortable.

"You look comfortable." Michiru giggled making Haruka realize her mistake. _Damn it! I should have chosen something more formal_. The older girl noted to herself.

"It's my apartment, I should hope so." Haruka shot back a bit too harshly. This caused Michiru to cast her eyes downward towards the floor. If they had been keeping a list of how many times there was tension between the two girls tonight, this moment would be there.

"I can go now if you'd like me to. I don't want to overstay my welcome." Michiru rose from her spot and began to walk out of the bedroom. This time it was Haruka who placed a hand on her forearm to stop her from leaving.

"Don't misunderstand me, Michiru. You can, um, stay the night here." Haruka offered. "I guess, you know, if you want to." She added nervously as an afterthought. Both girls could tell they were playing a game of cat and mouse now, one trying to leave and the other stopping her before they could. Michiru turned back around smiling at Haruka who shot back a boyish smirk.

"I'm afraid I don't have any clothes with me other than this." Michiru gestured to her own outfit. Haruka rolled her eyes playfully and made her way over to her dresser. She opened a drawer and motioned for the other girl to come over.

"You can wear something of mine." Tentatively the younger girl walked over and looked at the sets of pajamas. She chose a simple set of shorts and a t shirt before wordlessly going into the bathroom to change.

Haruka was disappointed in herself for allowing the other girl to get so close. Many times had she toyed with the idea of the young violinist coming back into her life, but none of the scenarios were like this. Every time she pictured it, Haruka had been mean and cold to the younger girl. How badly she wanted to treat Michiru, to put it bluntly, like shit. It was a cheap, petty way to take revenge, but it was the way Haruka always imagined it. But every time she tried Michiru always looked so sad and something inside her ached.

The bathroom door swung open and out walked Michiru clad in the other girls pajamas. Haruka adverted her eyes knowing she might grow even softer for the girl who broke her heart if she acknowledged how domestic this was.

"May I join you?" Michiru asked shyly referring to the empty spot on the bed next to the other girl. Haruka answered with a short nod. The bed dipped beside Haruka as the younger girl lay down next to her. Haruka found her nostrils quickly filled with the still intoxicating scent of vanilla and sea water. "I can answer your question now, if you'd like me to."

"No, I'm tired now. We can talk in the morning." Haruka surprised herself with her own answer. "Just don't think you're off the hook yet." She added flatly glancing at the other girl.

"I would never dream of it."

"Goodnight Michiru."

"Goodnight 'Ruka." Michiru let her old nickname for the other girl slip before both girls closed their eyes and drifted into sleep.

A/N (again): Hey! Adding this at the end because I wrote the first note before anyone reviewed the story. Thank you to the few people who have left reviews! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. Expect lots of cliffhangers to come- I love building up the suspense. But I do promise next chapter will be the long awaited answer to "Why did Michiru leave Haruka?" Hugs and kisses!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Had to give a long update to this today in honor of Michiru's birthday! So, happy birthday Michi! There is also a (pretty long) flashback and it will be noted as it's sectioned off from the main chapter. Happy reading!

Sunlight streamed through the window of Haruka's apartment illuminating the room around the sleeping blonde. Groggily she blinked a few times allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. _What time is it? I must have slept it._ The girl thought to herself noticing that the sunlight was bright enough for it to be early afternoon. Haruka slowly began to sit up and as she did her head started to pound.

_Good going Tenoh. You drank so much last night you gave yourself a nice hangover. _Haruka grimaced inwardly at herself silently cursing at how much she drank. She was about to get out of bed when she noticed the covers next to her were thrown around haphazardly. That's when the true events of last night came rushing back to her in all their glory.

Haruka remembered letting Michiru walk home with her and inviting her to stay. Besides that and the memory of quite a few awkward silences, Haruka couldn't remember anything else. As she looked around her apartment the air was silent. If there were another presence here Haruka knew she would sense them. Instead of waking up to the aqua haired girl Haruka had woken up how she was accustomed to. Alone.

"Of course she wouldn't stay. I'm so damn stupid- thinking that she would stay." Haruka spoke to an empty room. She began to angrily fix the covers on her bed. "After two fucking plus years why would one night change anything?" Her anger grew with each word she spat out towards the girl who had left her again. The smell of vanilla and sea water that lingered on the sheets did nothing but send Haruka over the edge into a fit of rage.

Headache forgotten the angry girl kicked her dresser. She blindly tore through the clothes and threw them around the room. It wasn't like she was searching for anything in particular, but she needed to somehow get this anger out of her. Between yells, throwing objects, and curse words Haruka failed to hear the sound of her front door opening or notice a now very concerned looking Michiru standing in the threshold of her bedroom.

"Haruka?" the newcomer asked timidly recognizing how angry the other girl looked. Michiru didn't move a muscle as Haruka looked up at her like she had seen a ghost. After a few moments green eyes full of anger once again looked like the soft meadows Michiru used to know. Haruka cleared her throat.

"I was just looking for something." Michiru raised an eyebrow quizzically as both girls knew Haruka was not the type of person to misplace something. Instead of calling her out the younger girl just shrugged.

"I'm sorry to leave you alone this morning. I just thought that I could repay you for letting me stay over last night with breakfast." Michiru explained. "I went into your kitchen and there wasn't much so I went to the store." She showed the other girl a tote bag hanging from her shoulder that was presumably full of food for breakfast.

Haruka couldn't stifle the sigh of relief of seeing the other girl standing in front of her. She thought that she was once again abandoned. No matter how strong she looked to outsiders the real battle was fought within, and she wasn't sure if she had enough strength to keep going. "Let me clean up this mess and I'll help you cook." Haruka said and started to fold her clothes back. She grimaced as her headache slowly seeped back through her nerves.

"I said it's my way of repaying you." Michiru said in a tone that left no room for argument. "Plus I see you have a headache leftover from last night."

"Yea, I guess I'm not as young as I'd like to think I am."

"It's not about age, Haruka, but the fact that anyone who drinks four shots of tequila in a span of twenty minutes is bound to feel it the next day." With that Michiru turned and headed towards the kitchen. Haruka heard her banging around through the cabinets looking for various pots and pans.

Around ten minutes passed when Haruka had finally finished putting all of her clothes away and the smell of food made its way to the blonde. Haruka walked into the living area and took a seat in front of the counter where she could see Michiru cooking. The younger girl was preparing a Western breakfast that consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. "It smells really good!" Haruka exclaimed. The cook turned around and looked at the blonde. Michiru slyly smiled at Haruka in a way that made the other girl wonder what she had up her sleeve.

"Oh, I haven't cooked all of it yet. I thought a traditional Western breakfast might help your hangover." Michiru paused for dramatic effect before playfully narrowing her eyes. "But I didn't forget about the natto." Haruka stiffened.

"I'm not eating that crap, Michiru." She stated whilst crossing her arms. At that sentiment Michiru had practically doubled over in laughter to the point she had to wipe a tear from her eye.

"I'm not dense 'Ruka." She said between laughs. Michiru started to pile up a hearty serving of what she was cooking on a plate for the other girl. "I remember that you hate natto. I'm only joking." She set the plate down in front of Haruka who only glared back at her.

"You phmeel comfort-ble 'nuff to call me 'Ruka?" Haruka asked between chews. The atmosphere in the room became thick as the blonde called out the younger girl. "I believe you owe me something more than just a breakfast and an old nickname."

Michiru sighed and walked to the counter so she was standing in front of the other girl. Their eyes locked onto one another daring someone to make the first move. Another sigh escaped the younger girl's lips. "Okay. Ask me anything you would like."

It had been about a week after the battle with Sailor Galaxia, and so far, everything seemed to be absolutely perfect. Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka continued their duties of raising Hotaru. With no immediate threats of danger, the three older girls spent most of their days leisurely while Hotaru attended school. On this particular day Setsuna was out running errands while Haruka and Michiru stayed at home.

Both girls bathed in a comfortable silence. Michiru had her knees pulled up to her chest and was reading a book. Haruka stared at her from across the room and smiled at her lovingly. No matter what kind of destiny the two girls had the older girl was beyond glad for a lull in violence. Since she was the "tough one" she would never let Michiru know that, but no fighting meant no chance for the younger girl to get hurt, or even worse, killed. Haruka wanted to protect her at all costs, but in times of trouble she had to treat Michiru as only a coworker of sorts.

"You see something you like?" Michiru asked from her spot, her blue eyes not leaving the page. Haruka chuckled and within a few moments was standing behind the chair the other girl sat in.

"You know I can't help but stare at beautiful girls." Haruka joked back making her voice slightly deeper than it usually was. The blonde leaned down and wrapped her arms around Michiru's shoulders.

"Is that why you stare at Usagi so much?" Michiru joked back. Even though she couldn't see her, Haruka rolled her eyes.

"Remember when Seiya was trying to unzip you…" the older girl trailed off in a light tone. At this statement Michiru put her book down so she could glare at the girl standing behind her. Haruka could see she was about to argue with her so she quickly closed the distance between them to steal a kiss.

Even after all their time together Haruka would never get tired of kissing Michiru. Every kiss between them always had a spark, or so she had thought until this moment. Haruka tentatively pulled back and looked at the other girl with eyes full of worry. "Michi, are you okay?"

"I've never been better." The answer seemed out of place and slightly cold to be from the mouth of Michiru, but Haruka knew better to press. _Maybe it's her time of the month_. Haruka couldn't think of any explanation that was better than that. For as long as she could remember both girls were always extremely open with each other, so she was sure the younger girl would tell her if something was wrong. Sensing she needed space, Haruka left her alone and walked into her bedroom.

After a few hours of playing videos and not hearing a word from Michiru, Haruka went back into the living room. She was hoping that by now the younger girl would be back to her normal self. In all the hours Haruka left her alone, it looked like Michiru hadn't moved an inch from her spot. "I'm sorry if my comment about Seiya offended you earlier." Haruka apologized, swallowing her pride. She rarely apologized, but if she did it was only for a certain blue haired woman.

"Don't worry Haruka, you haven't made me upset." Haruka thought it was weird hearing her full name from the other girl when they were alone. She was almost exclusively known as "'Ruka" in the company of each other. "Haruka" seemed way too formal for her unless they were around other people.

The older girl sighed and bit her tongue to keep herself from saying something. Even if the problem was Haruka herself, Michiru never kept her feelings a secret. When all of the inner soldiers would fawn over their relationship Haruka took pride in the fact they were so communicative with each other. When did that change?

"The wind is restless today." Haruka stated in a distant tone. Her inner senshi could pick up on a change in the breeze outside, regardless of the fact she was in the house. The blonde stared out of a window observing how the wind, although slight, seemed to be blowing haphazardly outside.

"The sea is calm today." Michiru replied, adding another thing on Haruka's list that she was worrying about. Before this moment, the sea senshi would always respond with "the sea is stormy today" if Haruka noted a change in the wind. With Michiru's declaration Haruka felt as if some internal balance had been thrown off inside her. She tried to ignore it but could feel something gnawing at her stomach.

"I'm going to go get Hotaru from school." The younger girl usually walked home but Haruka felt she needed an excuse to leave the house. "Whatever I'm feeling from the wind, I don't want her involved." With that, the blonde left the house not needing a response from Michiru.

Haruka arrived at Hotaru's school in half the time she should have. The coldness she had received from Michiru that afternoon only fueled the growing feeling of _something_ in her stomach, making Haruka drive ridiculously fast.

"Haruka-papa!" A happy looking Hotaru was bounding down the steps in front of her school making a beeline straight for Haruka.

"My little firefly, how was school today?" Hotaru's purple eyes shone with happiness as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

"It was great! I got to work with real chemicals in my science class, and my English teacher was gone today so we were allowed a free period." Haruka ruffled the short hair of her adopted daughter which earned her a smile in return.

"Sounds like you had a fun day!" she responded and began to drive at a much safer speed now that she had company.

"Why did you pick me up, Haruka-papa? Did something happen?" The older girl could sense worry laced with the questions. Hotaru was especially sensitive to the emotions of others around her, and she was definitely still on edge from the recent battle.

"Don't worry- I just wanted to spend some time with you, firefly." Haruka reassured her. "Would you like to get some ice cream?" Hotaru nodded excitedly and the blonde drove them to an ice cream shop.

Haruka and Hotaru spent the afternoon together, the younger one enjoying their quality time together. As they walked up and down random streets Haruka couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The wind seemed to be blowing anxiously in a way only the wind senshi could understand. A sense of danger began to rise up in the pit of Haruka's stomach.

"Maybe we should start heading home little one. I'm starting to get hungry." Hotaru nodded in agreement with what she said.

"I'm getting hungry too. Maybe Setsuna-mama will make us something yummy for dinner!"

"After all the ice cream you ate?" Haruka poked the younger girls stomach causing her to giggle and playfully shove her hand away. "Where do you store all the food?" Both of them started laughing and made their way back to the car.

The car ride back to the house was overall uneventful. Hotaru was a bit worn out from their impromptu afternoon with each other, while Haruka couldn't shake the feeling something in her world wasn't right. It felt like something had shifted ever so slightly, but that shift would cause something much greater.

Haruka pulled into the driveway as the purple eyed girl practically sprinted inside. _Oh, to have that kind of energy._ The older girl thought moving much more slowly than the other girl.

"Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru cried and ran towards the eldest of the household.

"Hello, my little Hotaru!" she addressed the younger girl. "And good evening Haruka." The latter shot a glance at Setsuna letting her know that something was up. Setsuna gave a quick nod in response that went unnoticed by Hotaru. "Why don't you go get ready for dinner." Setsuna said, and with that the younger girl bounded away.

"Where's Michi?" Haruka asked noticing that they were now alone. "The wind has been restless today and I have an odd feeling that something is… out of line." She dropped her voice during the last part in case Hotaru was trying to listen in on their conversation.

"I was going to ask you if you knew where Michiru was." Setsuna and Haruka exchanged a worried glance. "I got home about an hour ago and no one was here. I just assumed she was with you." Haruka shook her head.

"No, she wasn't. I left because she had been acting weird all morning." Haruka sighed and scratched the back of her head. "It's not like her to leave without telling anyone."

As if on cue, Hotaru came bouncing back into the room. "Where's Michiru-mama? I want her to brush my hair for me!" the younger girl exclaimed.

"She went out." Stated Setsuna flatly, leaving no room for any other questions. "Why don't you come and help me with dinner instead?" Hotaru shook her head excitedly and began to pull random food items from the pantry. While she was distracted, Setsuna looked at Haruka in a way that let her know she was off the hook for now.

Silently slipping out of the room Haruka took the stairs two at a time. The worried feeling in the pit of her stomach grew as she grew closer and closer to the room she shared with Michiru. Finally arriving at the door Haruka took a deep breath. She swung the door open hoping that she would find her beautiful counterpart lounging on the bed, painting quietly, or doing absolutely anything as long as she was in the house.

The room was empty.

Haruka didn't need to search around for her. In a room full of thousands of people, the blonde would be able to pick out Michiru with her eyes closed. Nothing looked out of the ordinary besides the fact there was a lack of anything left by the other woman. Haruka tore through the room looking for anything that proved Michiru used to inhabit this room, but everything was gone. From the clothes in their shared closet to her toothbrush, all swept away without a trace.

The room was now destroyed but Haruka couldn't care less. She laid down on her bed and reflected on everything that happened throughout the last week. "It doesn't make sense." The words sounded lifeless, which was exactly how Haruka felt. Feeling incredibly fragile, Haruka brought her knees close to her chest as a tear silently fell down her cheek. She couldn't help but notice that the wind was calm.

Haruka pushed her half-eaten plate of breakfast away from her. The flashback she just had caused her appetite to immediately be lost. It took a lot of inner strength for Haruka to maintain her composure as all of the emotions she had suppressed for over two years came flooding back to her.

"Did you ever think about me?" Haruka asked through gritted teeth. Michiru noticed the other girls change in demeaner and couldn't pinpoint if she was holding back anger, or tears.

"Of course I did…" Michiru walked around the counter so she was standing next to the other girl.

"Don't try to pull your old crap with me, Michiru." Haruka began angrily. "Did you ever think about how I would feel to come back to an empty home?"

"I-" Haruka put her hand up.

"Did you ever think about how much stress it would put on me to tell Setsuna that you got up and left? Or how I had to suppress my emotions every time Hotaru told me that she wanted her "Michiru-mama back"?" Haruka stood up and slammed her fist on the counter causing the plates to rattle. "I went through hell and back trying to pick up the pieces of a life you left behind." Michiru hung her head in shame knowing that the words the other girl was shouting were more than true.

"I was selfish and I apologize." Michiru finally managed to say weakly. Haruka dramatically threw her arms up.

"Oh please, tell me something I don't know." She yelled down at the other girl.

Michiru didn't know what to say, so both girls just stood there. Haruka's nostrils were flaring in a way that would rival an angered bull. Her emotions were all over the place and she didn't know if she wanted to scream, kick out, hug, or break down to the aqua haired woman. Taking a deep breath, Haruka regained her composure.

Michiru flinched when she felt hands come down on her shoulders. She was surprised when the grip began to soften. Like a timid child who got caught for doing something wrong Michiru slowly looked up from the ground. Haruka's eyes were filled with tears. It was like someone stabbed Michiru in the gut when she realized she was the one who caused all of the pain.

"Why did you leave me?" Haruka asked while still holding onto Michiru's shoulders. If she let go she felt like she might fall over.

"You remember the last battle we had with Galaxia and how we decided to allow ourselves to go under her control. After our true intentions were uncovered…" Michiru trailed off not breaking eye contact with the other girl. Haruka nodded in understanding knowing what fate the two of them had shared.

"When we came back, everything seemed okay. I could finally pursue my dreams of being a violinist while living out my life with my true destiny." Michiru smiled softly at she remembered this part, butterflies warming the bottom of her stomach. "I had nightmares. Every single night up until I left. Even my daydreams weren't safe." Her bottom lip began to quiver as she recalled the horrible images that plagued her during that time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Haruka could feel waves of sadness rolling off the younger girls' body.

"I was so scared, Haruka. I didn't know if this was a new threat presenting itself to me, or if Queen Nehelenia had somehow managed to find her way back. The day you went to go pick up Hotaru from school I consulted my mirror. From what I could see, no one else was having these visions, so I knew I needed to act alone." Michiru smiled sadly. "That's why I left so it would only be my burden, but in turn you were burdened as well."

Haruka felt Michiru's shoulders start to shake as her body was wracked with sobs. Going against better judgement she pulled the younger girl towards her and walked her to the couch. Any traces of anger had temporary left the blondes body as she tried to comfort Michiru. She sat down and pulled the other girl down with her, holding her in a way that reminded her of the past.

"It's okay." Haruka's fingers gently combed themselves through the curly aqua locks. Michiru's head lay on her chest and a wet spot was starting to form from the tears. They stayed in this position until Michiru finally began to breathe in a normal manner. Haruka rested her chin atop the other girls head which created quite a closeness between them.

"I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet." Michiru mumbled against the blondes chest. "It's selfish of me to be crying when I know I caused you pain too." Her voice cracked once more but Haruka just tightened her grip even more in hopes of stopping more tears.

"Don't worry about it, Michi." Haruka felt dazed by the familiarity of holding the violinist so close. It was too easy to slip back into what she had lost. "Where did you go for so long? No one has heard from you."

Michiru slowly sat up from her resting spot on the blonde. They would never admit it, but both girls instantly missed the warmth they had given each other in the embrace. "I isolated myself. I bought a boat and travelled throughout the sea letting mother Neptune lead me through the waters."

"For over two years? What about supplies?" Haruka tried to picture the elegant girl sitting before her living off the land, but she couldn't.

"As I said, mother Neptune led me. I would dock in ports around the world and gather as much supplies as I thought I would need. Every time I was running low-" Michiru suddenly stopped talking and a small blush spread across her cheeks. "The wind would push my sail in the direction of the nearest land. It always made me feel a little less lonely knowing mother Uranus was also guiding me on my journey."

Haruka chuckled at what Michiru was saying. She didn't doubt any of what she was saying, but it was obvious their destinies were much more intertwined than she realized. "So, is that how you ended up back here?" Haruka figured she already knew the answer.

"In a way, it was. I'm not sure where I was exactly but there was a horrible storm. All I could do was go underneath the deck and pray that I would be okay." Michiru paused for a moment to let herself think. "As I was heading down, I slipped on some water and was knocked unconscious. I don't remember anything besides waking up to sunlight and a big headache. When I looked out onto the sea, I saw land. That land turned out to be Japan.

"I ended up docking on Hokkaido. This was only a few days ago. I took as much of my personal items and clothing that I could keep in a suitcase. I was still a bit tired from my ordeal so I booked a hotel room for two nights before deciding I was fit enough to travel. I grabbed the first flight to Tokyo I could find." Michiru smiled once again as she recalled the events. "It seems as though Neptune and Uranus were still watching over me."

"Why do you say that?" Haruka asked her, actually intrigued about the story.

"I had only just gotten into Tokyo. I was actually in a hotel quite nearby here. After two years I was very homesick, and something urged me to go outside and take a walk." Haruka looked at her expectantly.

"Well, don't stop there! What happened on your walk?" Michiru lifted her hand over her mouth to try and stifle a giggle. "Why are you laughing at me, Kaioh?" Haruka teased her with a smirk.

"You can be slow sometimes!" Michiru reached over and ruffled the short blonde hair. This earned her a glare, but she could recognize the playfulness in the older girl's eyes. "The day I went out for a walk was yesterday. When I saw you. I had little contact with anyone in my two years of isolation, yet in a city full of millions you were the first person I found." A wave of calm washed over both girls. "Destiny is funny isn't it?"

Neither one of them could deny that an outside force brought them to this moment. Haruka decided not to talk about how she had heard whispers in the wind that seemed to start right around when Michiru docked in Japan. It was more than a mere coincidence. "Last night when you showed up at the bar… who else have you spoken to?"

"I actually spoke to Rei. Of all the inner scouts she was the easiest to find and has always been one of the most composed." Michiru dipped her head down. "I wasn't sure who knew of my absence. In the case of no one knowing I also figured Rei wouldn't be the type to gossip. She also experiences psychic visions so I knew she would understand why I chose to isolate myself."

"I actually haven't spoken to anyone in a while." Haruka admitted sadly. "A few months after you left I began to race professionally. Quite frankly, I had no ties left here. Danger was gone, all of the inners were in high school, and I had no reason to have a relationship with Mamoru. With nothing left to do I decided to focus on myself.

"The house was weird with only Setsuna, Hotaru, and I, so we left. Setsuna took Hotaru to an apartment that was closer to the school. I became my own manager and signed the best contract that came my way. Soon I was the youngest and best female racer in Japan. It didn't matter much to me, though. It was and is just a way to pass time." Michiru could feel the hidden emotions in the girls story. It wasn't to just pass time, but to try and forget about Michiru.

"This isn't our, I mean your, furniture from the house." Michiru noted that she would have never let them share such dull colored furniture.

"I still own the other house. I never moved the furniture out of it." Haruka shrugged. "Some things you just can't let go." She paused. "How did Rei know what bar I would be at last night?"

"She said a while back when you first won a big race Usagi wanted to throw a party for you, but you insisted you didn't want one. So, she had picked that place hoping it would be secluded enough for you. Rei had told me it was a shot in the dark, but she had a gut feeling you might go there still. I guess she was right." Michiru finished with a smile.

Haruka vividly remembered the part the moon princess was oh so excited to throw her. It had been great- Ami had coordinated a good time for everyone while Rei planned decorations. Makoto supplied a delicious home-made cake and somehow Minako tracked down Setsuna to tell her of their plan. On the night of the party Usagi and Mamoru had shown up to practically drag her to the bar. It was a great memory, but it was plagued by the fact Michiru was missing. Everyone at the party had noticed it and knew better than too question Haruka.

Sighing, the blonde pushed the memory to the back of her mind. It was hard not to focus on the past when the ghost that haunted it had finally made her way back to her. "I guess she was." Haruka finally agreed. "Well, I'm sure Tokyo is glad to have you back, Michi."

"Are we okay?" Michiru ventured seriously. The question caught Haruka off guard.

"Right now, yes. But I can't say the answer will be the same next week, tomorrow, or even later this evening." Haruka was trying to put a wall up around herself. "I still don't trust you. It's going to take a long time before I will." Michiru nodded sadly.

"I understand, Haruka. Thank you for allowing me to explain myself and thank you for letting me into your home." The younger girl stood up from the house. "I should clean up the mess from breakfast and head back to my hotel." Haruka stood up next to Michiru.

"Uh, Michiru?" Haruka asked softly and looked down at the younger girl. Michiru looked up in response and felt a hand come up to the side of her face. Haruka had moved her hand up to the shorter ones cheek. Both girls could feel butterflies stretching their wings at the bottom of their stomachs.

"Yes, Haruka?" Michiru asked back gently. She ever so slightly tilted her head to sink deeper into Haruka's touch. The blonde had forgotten how soft and warm Michiru was. She felt so _weak_.

For over two years Haruka told herself to hate the woman standing in front of her. She had lost a part of her when Michiru left, but that same part seemed to bring her back. Haruka noticed Michiru's blue eyes break their gaze for a second to glance down at the taller girl's lips. Instinctively, Haruka licked her lips as both girls unconsciously began inching closer.

Haruka didn't realize how close they'd become until the tips of their noses were touching. She tilted her head to one side and leaned so close she felt Michiru's breath hitch. "I missed you, Michiru." Haruka whispered onto the younger girl's lips.

"I missed you too, Haruka." She whispered back. A tingling sensation washed over Haruka's lips before a pair of lips were gently pressed against her own. Haruka could swear she was flying when she felt the familiar lips press into hers. A lot had changed in two years, but memories couldn't. The blonde felt dizzy when Michiru began to pull away.

The mood between them quickly changed as Haruka felt a fire burning at the bottom of her abdomen. She quickly moved her hands to press into the small of Michiru's back, pulling their bodies back together. "Two years later and all I get is a quick kiss?" Michiru felt a similar feeling in her abdomen as Haruka's voice dropped down into a much huskier tone. "You owe me more than that, Michi."

Haruka brought them together to once more claim the other pair of lips as her own. The kisses became deeper and hungrier as the fires continued to build in both girl's stomachs. "Haruka!" Michiru moaned as the older girl began to kiss down her jawline. Her lips stopped at a place right below her ear and began to suck on the sweet skin gently. Michiru practically melted in her arms as Haruka was making her body hot with desire.

The sound of a jiggling doorknob caused both girls to reluctantly stop their reunion. "You're expecting someone?" Michiru asked breathily, fanning her face that was now a shade of red.

"No." Haruka answered as she tried to recall who had a key to her apartment besides her. "Shit!" she said as she finally figured out who was most likely at the door, but it was too late.

"I hope you're decent!" A voice called from the other side of the door. Michiru looked like a deer caught in the headlights as she stared wide eyed at the door. She knew exactly who the voice belonged to. The door opened and the person walked into the apartment. "I thought I would stop by today just to say hi and check up on you…" the newcomer trailed off as they took in the sight of a very frightened looking Michiru. "Michuru-mama?!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Howdy! Trying to update as quickly as possible while still trying to make the story decent! If you couldn't tell by the end of the last chapter, I am obviously comfortable with writing mature things. If the rating on this story changes, you'll see it reflected overall and I will also warn you in one of these handy notes. This chapter is more humorous because I couldn't imagine a 15-year-old Hotaru acting any other way. Enjoy!

Three sets of eyes dared each other to make the next move. By the front door was a set of very surprised and confused purple eyes. Said eyes flicked back and forth between green and blue, belonging to Haruka and Michiru respectively. The latter two both swallowed nervously feeling like they were two teenagers who had been caught in the act… by none other than another teenager.

"Hotaru! My little firefly! It's so nice of you to visit me on such _short notice_." Haruka forced the last part out and began to rub her temples. Her hangover was long gone, but a much larger headache was now forming.

"You better close your mouth before the real fireflies get in." Michiru said sweetly. Hotaru closed her mouth but had still not gotten over the initial shock of seeing one of her mothers in front of her. "You've gotten so big!" the aqua haired girl took a step towards Hotaru which caused the younger girl to also take a step back.

"Michiru-mama?" the younger girl asked again in such an innocent voice Haruka could swore her heart broke. "Is it- Is that- I mean is it you?" Hotaru's eyes began to glaze over with tears and she had to steady herself by holding onto the counter. Michiru could see how badly her adopted daughter's hands were shaking.

"It's me, Hotaru. I finally found my way back home." With that, Hotaru ran forward and threw her arms around the older woman.

"Michiru-mama!" she sobbed into the chest of Michiru. "I missed you so much. I didn't think you were ever going to come back." Hotaru said between sniffles. After a few more moments she leaned backwards out of the embrace and stared up at Michiru. "Why did you leave us?"

At that moment if someone dropped a pin in the room, you would have heard it. No one said a word. Michiru was aware that Hotaru was now 15, but she asked the question with such innocence it made her heart want to burst. "That is a very big question with an equally big answer, firefly. Why don't we go somewhere and talk about it?" Haruka tried breaking the silence.

"We could get ice cream?" Michiru offered. Haruka resumed rubbing her temples while Hotaru looked at the woman like she just shot her. The woman noticed how both girls responded to her offer. "Not a good idea?" Haruka walked over to Michiru and leaned close to her ear.

"The last time I took Hotaru out to ice cream was the day you left." Any trace of color drained from Michiru's face.

"Mother Neptune, take me now." She mumbled under her breath. "I actually need to change. Haruka, could I borrow some of your clothes?" the blonde nodded. "I'll be right back." Michiru scampered out of the room quickly and shut the bedroom door behind her. Haruka looked at the younger girl who still seemed to be in shock.

"You picked one hell of a time to come over here." Haruka put her arm around Hotaru's shoulders in a protective way. "This whole thing is a damn mess… please don't tell Setsuna about this." Hotaru looked confused at this request.

"But Haruka-papa, Setsuna-mama would be so happy to know Michiru-mama made it back home." Haruka sighed knowing it was only matter of time before the younger girl let something slip. Setsuna wasn't dense, she would catch on eventually if she hadn't already sensed it.

"You're right, but this is something that needs to happen on Michiru's terms. As much as I love seeing your wonderful face, I'm not sure if my heart can handle any more surprises." Haruka put her hand over her heart dramatically and clutched her chest as if it were in pain. Hotaru rolled her eyes and gave her papa a playful shove.

"Why don't you go change while I decide where I want to go?" A small grin formed across the teenager's face. "I can go anywhere I want, right?"

"If Setsuna would say no, so will I! Don't try and pull a fast one on me!" Haruka called behind her as she approached her bedroom. She opened the door and immediately shielded her eyes. "Sorry Michiru, I forgot you were getting ready!" the blonde felt heat rise to her cheeks as she caught a glance of the other girl changing.

"You've seen it before Haruka. When did you start getting so shy around women?" Michiru teased and finished putting on the shirt she chose. Somehow the younger girl managed to make a girly outfit out of Haruka's clothes. Michiru had chosen a pair of white jeans and rolled up the ankles to compensate for the girl's height difference. She had taken a blue and white striped button up shirt and tied it at her waist to give a bit more femininity to the boyish shirt. Paired off with the heels she wore the night before, Haruka had to say she was impressed.

"I think you're the only girl who could make that button up looks like a woman's blouse." Haruka said and reached for a plain black button up shirt. "I also own a lot of button up shirts, don't I?" Haruka asked to no one in particular. The blonde chose khakis and black leather shoes, finally tucking in the shirt to her waistband to complete the look.

"You're looking quite handsome, Haruka." Stated Michiru earning her a flirtatious smile in response. Both girls walked back into the living room to Hotaru who was beginning to pace around impatiently.

"I've decided I wanted pizza." The youngest declared triumphantly, very satisfied with her decision.

"Your wish is our command." Haruka bowed playfully and then ushered both girls out of the apartment. Hotaru had picked a place close to where they were so the three opted to walk there instead of driving. Michiru and Hotaru did most of the talking on the walk as they tried to rekindle their relationship. The two-year gap had taken quite a toll on the youngest girl, but it was obvious she was more than thrilled to allow her other mother back into her life.

The group arrived at the restaurant where their hostess led them to a booth. Hotaru slipped in on one side while Haruka sat her opposite. The latter was a bit surprised when she noticed Michiru sliding in next to her. Before she had any more time to react Hotaru had already launched herself into another story. Haruka had heard this story many times, but she knew this outing was more for Michiru to catch up.

Twenty minutes later and about an equal number of stories from Hotaru in, a large pizza was placed in the center of the table. "Youngest goes first!" Hotaru declared immediately claiming a piece for her own.

"Be careful hime-chan, it's going to be hot!" Haruka warned the girl noticing lines of steam rising from the food. Michiru giggled softly as she reached for her own serving of the food. Haruka felt quite content at how the scene was playing before her. Whatever doubts she had about Michiru's homecoming affecting Hotaru negatively were completely thrown out of the window.

"I can't wait to tell Setsuna-mama you're back!"

_Ah, peace can only last for a moment._ Haruka thought to herself as their daughter revealed what she planned to do. Michiru began choking on the sip of water she had in her mouth. Instinctively Haruka began to firmly pat her on the back while trying to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside her. It was rare for Michiru to slip out of her perfect princess act, but when she did it always struck Haruka as hilarious.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hotaru looked at the older women innocently not grasping the concept of keeping Michiru's arrival a secret. Haruka laughed very loudly at this causing a few heads to turn their way. Michiru dabbed at her mouth with a napkin trying to regain her composure from her coughing fit.

Haruka dramatically wiped a fake tear from the corner of her eye. Her laugh had dwindled down into a soft chuckle, but young violet eyes were still looking at her for an answer. "Ah my firefly, you're so cute sometimes." Haruka cleared her throat. "I can tell how excited you are to have Michiru-mama back, but I'm not sure if Setsuna-mama would feel the same way."

"What do you mean, papa?" Hotaru's eyes flicked back and forth between both girls as she desperately tried to grasp what they were alluding to. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and the teenager sat up a bit straighter. "Oh! Are you talking about how you told me Setsuna-mama is passive aggressive?"

At this moment a small part of Haruka died of embarrassment. It was now Michiru's turn to laugh loudly at the sudden revelation the teenager had. "Hotaru, do you remember when I told you some conversation between you and I were to remain secret?" the blonde asked quietly. Hotaru shook her head happily, still not connecting the dots. "That was one of those conversations." Haruka groaned in defeat knowing that she couldn't be upset with Hotaru even for a moment.

"I'm sorry Haruka-papa! I must have forgot." Hotaru said cheekily. "But what makes Setsuna-mama passive aggressive anyways?" If Haruka slunk any lower in her seat she would end up on the floor, so she shot a look over to a very amused Michiru in a silent plea for help.

"Ah, Hotaru. Do you remember when Setsuna-mama was working for the research lab?" Michiru began. "One day she came home and was very upset because one of the experiments she was working on got ruined." Haruka sat up a bit straighter as she remembered exactly how this story played out.

Haruka jumped from her place on the couch when a fuming Setsuna slammed the front door as she entered the house. "Dang Sets, are you okay?" the blonde cocked an eyebrow at the obviously upset woman. Setsuna was typically the voice of reason admits their sometimes crazy household, but when the green haired woman became mad everyone in the house watched themselves.

"I was having a great day in the lab working on a new experiment I just got approved." Setsuna began calmly but forcefully. "We've been experimenting with different types of bacteria growth in water. I've been on the verge of getting an extremely fragile species to undergo rapid Mitotic division under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, since this species is so fragile there can be little to no movement once the correct environmental conditions have been met."

At this point Setsuna was rummaging through the fridge and placing items quite loudly on the counter as she spoke. The loud noises caused a very curious Hotaru and Michiru to eavesdrop from the hallway. Michiru had been in the middle of helping Hotaru with her homework when curiosity got the better of both of them.

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you." Haruka replied not knowing what else to say. Setsuna slammed the door to the fridge shut causing all three girls to jump.

"I did. Until my idiot coworker decided to move my experiment." The green haired woman stated very calmly. No one listening was fooled as they knew this was the calm before the storm.

"So, it was- "

"Ruined." Setsuna cut the blonde off. Haruka and the two girls in hiding watched as the eldest did an almost complete 180 on her attitude. "I would have had to test it again anyways, but it's still a waste of supplies. That same idiot was doing an experiment of their own. It is _very_ unfortunate that in a turn of events it seems their experiment met a similar fate." Setsuna smiled and began to prepare the ingredients for dinner.

From their hiding spot, Michiru had to cover up Hotaru's mouth to keep her from laughing. Although she always tried to be a good role model for their daughter, Michiru found it hard enough to not laugh herself. On the other hand, Haruka couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Let's hope your experiment goes better next time, Sets."

"So, you see, that's why I'm nervous if you tell Setsuna-mama I'm back home. I'm afraid she might not take to me lightly. At least not yet." Michiru's voice snapped Haruka out of the flashback. Hotaru nodded in agreement, but her violet eyes flickered with sadness.

"I understand. But I want to have all of you back together again someday. As a family." The longing in Hotaru's voice was quite evident to Haruka that it made her heart ache. "I promise I won't tell Setsuna-mama, but please promise me you'll tell her soon, Michiru-mama?"

"I do promise, little one. I want to make amends with everyone." Michiru finished with a small smile gracing her lips. Haruka got goosebumps as she felt a slight pressure right above her knee. She looked down and saw Michiru's hand resting gently on her. Instinctively the blonde placed her hand over the violinists.

More small talk ensued between the three of them before Haruka even realized how late it was becoming. The restaurant had begun to grow darker, but they had been so caught up in conversation Haruka didn't process the darkness was due to the sun setting outside. "Hime-chan, it's getting late. Don't you have school tomorrow? I think we should be leaving."

Hotaru shrugged. "I guess I didn't notice the time. I'm sure Setsuna-mama will be looking for me soon." Haruka laid enough money on the table to cover their meal and the trio began to exit their booth. It was only after Michiru removed her hand from the blonde's thigh that Haruka realized she already missed the touch of the younger girl.

Figuring they would walk back to her apartment and drive Hotaru home, Haruka began to walk but a small hand grabbed her arm. "I can walk home myself, Haruka-papa. Don't worry!" Haruka looked incredulously at the younger girl, part of her feeling protective over not wanting her to be walking alone in the dark.

"It's getting dark, firefly, and it's also getting cold." Haruka cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know if you should be going home all alone like this." This response was met with an eyeroll of violet eyes.

"I'll be okay Haruka-papa, I promise. You know I can practically see the apartment from here. Plus, I want to join sports at school, so I need to work on my running. If I run, I won't be cold!" Hotaru beamed at her own excuses, this time earning an eyeroll from Haruka and a giggle from Michiru.

"She makes a good case for herself." Michiru responded quietly.

"Two against one, huh? Cut me some slack!" Haruka sighed and waved her hand towards the younger girl. "Okay, but be careful alright, hime-chan?"

"I will be!" Hotaru promised. The youngest walked forward to give Michiru a hug. "It was nice seeing you, Michiru-mama. Come see me soon!" she turned to Haruka. "You come see me too, Haruka-papa!" With that, Hotaru also gave Haruka a hug. As she was turning around to start her way home, Hotaru looked at the older pair with a smirk on her face. "You two obviously need some alone time." She said before running off to her home.

Haruka watched her daughter run down the street for a few more moments. _Teenagers._ She scoffed inwardly regarding the bold jab Hotaru made at them. "She's as insightful as ever." Michiru stated as her eyes looked in the direction the youngest had just run off in.

"Yea, you came back just in time for her prime teenager years." Haruka laughed and the two began to walk in the opposite direction to go back to the blonde's apartment. Most of the walk was spent in a comfortable silence between the two. They walked side by side, neither of them feeling the need to say anything. A slight breeze began to pick up and Haruka was aware of the girl next to her shivering a bit in response. "Cold?"

Michiru smiled. "It was just the breeze, that's it." Haruka smiled back at her and placed a hand on the small of Michiru's back. It was supposed to be a small gesture of comfort. In response to this Michiru wrapped her hand around Haruka's arm, pulling them closer together. The walk then continued in silence with neither girl moving from their chosen positions.

In this moment, Haruka was glad she had chosen to wear a long-sleeved shirt. When Michiru had grabbed her arm, she couldn't help the goosebumps that formed underneath the fabric. Warmth flooded out of the younger girls' fingertips and into what felt like Haruka's whole body. She willed herself not to be swayed by such a light touch, but her body was at a battle between what her brain told her to feel and her heart wanted to feel.

The girls finally approached their destination and once again Haruka was upset to find that Michiru had broken the physical contact between them. Neither one posed the question of if Michiru would stay the night again- at this point it was a given, but they would have to work out the logistics of it soon enough. Soon wasn't now, so Haruka pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

Michiru opened the door to the building but something tugging at the back of Haruka's mind caused her to pause before following the other woman. The nagging thought quickly worked its way to the forefront of the blonde's brain. _Is this really the right thing to do?_ Haruka wanted to desperately push this thought down, but her mind wouldn't allow it.

"Is something wrong, Haruka?" Michiru asked. Haruka blinked a few times to bring herself back into reality. She realized she had been standing halfway in the door to the building.

"Uh, no. Nothing's wrong! I was just thinking about an upcoming race." Haruka lied knowing if she told Michiru what she was thinking the younger woman would surely leave again. Right as Haruka was going to cross the threshold into the building, she felt the back of her neck prickle as if someone was breathing on it.

The voice was quiet but unmistakable, carried in the wind was the answer to her minds burning question from only moments before. _You are on the right track_. Haruka shivered at the familiar voice of the wind. She still didn't know if this was fate or her own subconscious playing tricks on her, but for now, Haruka trusted the voice. Once the lingering voice faded away Haruka entered the building and could only pray she was indeed on the right track.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello, hello! Always grateful for the reviews that have been left on the story, so thank you if you've taken the time to leave me one! I would say get ready for some ~drama~ but we all know Haruka is a sucker for Michiru, so we'll see if I ever actually get to that point! College sucks so this chapter is getting posted a bit later than I wanted, so I made it a bit longer for everyone. As always, enjoy!

Haruka woke up the next morning to find that she was not alone in her bed. Instinctively she raised one hand to her head figuring she would have a headache but was surprised that she felt just fine. The blonde was used to waking up and finding another girl in her bed after a long night of drinking. Normally a headache would accompany the heavy drinking.

"Morning Haruka." Haruka recognized the voice next to her.

"Oh, m-morning Michiru!" she stammered out as a response. "You didn't go back to your hotel last night?" Michiru sat up from her spot. Two years apart and neither woman looked any different than they had before. Waking up next to each other felt so familiar, but still foreign.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry to impose but I guess we both got so tired we just fell asleep." Haruka flashed back to last night after they both got to her apartment. Her early morning fog finally lifted, and she clearly remembered having Michiru come inside. All they had done was talk and sleep.

"It's okay, Michi. I just forgot is all. It's too early to think, but I remember." Michiru stood up and began to walk towards the bathroom. Haruka felt her cheeks start to flare up when she noticed the younger girl was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and nothing else. "B-breakfast!" Haruka declared purposefully not looking at Michiru. "I will make us breakfast."

Michiru giggled and shut the bathroom door leaving Haruka alone to compose herself. _At least we didn't do anything._ Haruka thought to herself knowing that she might not be able to contain herself if they wound up physical in any sort of way.

In the past few years Haruka practically never cooked for anyone but herself, so the task of making breakfast for two gave her some extra time to think about everything that had been going on. _Come on, Haruka, you know she can't stay here forever. It's Friday and you have a race on Sunday. This means that tomorrow you're going to have to have a publicity day. Michiru won't want to go to all of that… Actually, she doesn't _need_ to go to that. She abandoned you so stop being so easy on her!_

Haruka sighed as the internal battle raged on between what her heart wanted, and her brain reasoned. It would be so easy to fall back into her old lover, but she had to keep her distance for now, if only to protect herself. "Thank you for cooking, Haruka." The blonde jumped and dropped the utensil she had in her hand. She had been so lost in thought she didn't notice Michiru had walked in and taken a seat.

"You're welcome, but if you scare me like that again it might be the last breakfast I make you." Haruka joked and set a plate down in front of the other girl. Michiru had only been in the bathroom for around 10 minutes, yet she was sitting in front of Haruka as if she came straight off a magazine cover. "You're wearing the same dress you wore two nights ago." Haruka noted about her appearance.

"Well, all my clothes are at my hotel room and I didn't want to raid your closet again." Michiru shrugged while eating her food. "I was actually going to ask you about that, Haruka."

"Ask me about what?" the blonde felt her heart beat a bit faster. She was never nervous around Michiru in the past, but now Haruka felt as if the younger girl had control of some detrimental part of her.

"It's been nice of you to allow me to stay here for the past few days, but I really must be going back to my hotel. I'll find a place of my own." Haruka stared at Michiru as the words hit a place deep in her heart. She would never admit it, but the blonde felt some degree of sadness at the thought of the aqua haired girl leaving her again. "Plus, you have a race on Sunday, and I wouldn't want to impose on your racing day."

At the mention of her race Haruka choked a bit on the food she was eating. "Alright Kaioh, one more time and you might just kill me." Haruka coughed as she tried to swallow the food that got lodged in her throat. Michiru giggled at the sight of this. "How the hell did you know I have a race on Sunday?" Haruka took a few sips of water to try and recover from her slight food mishap.

"When you're one of the biggest racers in Japan, it's hard to hide it." Michiru gestured towards the big window in the living area. "Plus, there's a billboard with your face on it. I can see it from here." Michiru laughed this time as Haruka turned an inhumane shade of red.

"Yea, well, I didn't ask for that." She grumbled under her breath. Haruka knew she was going to have to speak to her publicist about that. There was nothing more she hated than being displayed so publicly.

The pair finished breakfast in a comfortable silence. For normal people it would seem that a two-year gap would create all sorts of opportunity for conversation- but Haruka and Michiru had never fallen under the normal category. Deep down Haruka knew that two years apart was nothing for them. As reincarnations of Princess Uranus and Princess Neptune, they both knew they had been apart for many years before.

"I should be going back to my hotel now." Michiru stood up from her seat and smiled warmly at Haruka. "Thank you again for the hospitality." Haruka tried to return her smile, but the sadness in her eyes made the gesture come off as lonely rather than happy.

"Wait! Michiru…" Much to her own surprise Haruka had jumped up out of her own seat. Something inside her willed her not to let the aqua haired girl leave so easily once again. Haruka could hardly believe her own actions, but she couldn't help herself. "Stay with me."

Haruka could tell Michiru was caught completely off guard by the invitation. The younger girl didn't let her expression give any sort of clue of what her answer would be. Haruka could feel her heart pounding in her chest as strongly as if she was behind the wheel of her car about to cross the finish line. "I wouldn't want to impose any further, Haruka." The words were barely audible over the sound of Haruka's own heartbeat filling her ears.

"You wouldn't be imposing. I live here alone and with my racing schedule you would have time alone to do whatever you need to do. We already know we can live together. I have a guest bedroom, too." Haruka rambled nervously trying to pick herself up out of the hole she began to dig for herself.

"A guest bedroom, huh? I'm surprised you didn't mention it before. I mean we _have_ been sharing a bed for the past two days." Of course, Michiru would focus on the one incriminating fact, if only to embarrass Haruka. The blonde felt herself fall even deeper into the metaphorical hole at the notion of this.

"I guess it just slipped my mind?" Haruka offered very weakly. Michiru quirked an eyebrow but said nothing else. Even though she was embarrassed Haruka did enjoy the light bantering between them. The older girl knew that Michiru meant no harm to her, and it was simply a game.

"You're sure I wouldn't be a bother staying here?" Michiru finally addressed the question she had previously ignored. Haruka smiled warmly at her.

"Not at all… but I do have some conditions." Michiru playfully rolled her eyes as the two walked out of the apartment door. The bond between the two outer senshi was so close that in some situation's communication was only a formality. Both girls could mostly tell what the other was thinking.

"Please tell me these conditions of yours, Haruka-senpai." Haruka gently bumped Michiru with her elbow at this.

"You know I hate being called that." The blonde huffed. Michiru led the way to the hotel she was staying at while Haruka desperately came up with the 'conditions' she foolishly mentioned before. Truthfully, she didn't care what Michiru did. When the two lived together before, Haruka had no problem with anything the younger girl did. "Alright, condition number one is no more sneaking up on me."

The weather outside perfectly complimented the tone of the conversation the two were having. Rays of sunshine shone warmly on anyone walking about, but it was still a comfortable temperature. "Condition number two is you can practice violin as much as you want, but not while I'm sleeping." Haruka took a long pause after this statement.

"Are those the only two things I have to worry about? I think I can handle it." Michiru said confidently. Feeling a rush of courage and amusement, Haruka lit up so brightly she almost blended in with the sunlight.

"No, Michiru, condition number three is the most important." Haruka said. Inwardly, Haruka knew what she was about to say was a joke, but she could still feel butterflies in her stomach. The blonde had always been the serious, blunt type around others, but with Michiru both enjoyed joking around with one another, neither one ever getting offended. "Condition number three is that you are not allowed to fall in love with me."

_She never stopped._ The wind ruffled Haruka's hair as it brought forth another message only the wind senshi could hear. After that whisper, silence engulfed them. The few moments of silence felt like complete and utter agony to Haruka while Michiru didn't even bat an eye. "This is my hotel." The younger girl declared stopping in front of a well-kept building.

_It's just like her to leave that up in the air._ Haruka thought to herself. She followed Michiru inside to the elevator, but truthfully, she was lost in her own thoughts. Years ago, when Haruka had first become a guardian was when she discovered the wind carried messages. At first the wind senshi had been very skeptical, but it wasn't long before Haruka realized the wind heard everything. Whether someone could feel it or not, the wind was always there as anything from the still air to the roar of a hurricane. Haruka couldn't shake the message the wind had decided to share with her. In all these years the wind had never lied to the guardian, but now she felt herself doubting it.

"If you want to stay in the elevator that's fine by me, but I may have to make an extra trip for my things without your help." Michiru's voice snapped Haruka out of the daze she had been in. The latter finally realized that the elevator was stopped and Michiru was waiting for her outside.

"Ah, sorry." Haruka rubbed the back of her neck. "Two years all alone and you're worried about making two trips." The icy words had already tumbled over her lips before Haruka could stop them. For a moment she saw the younger girls' blue eyes flash with hurt before reverting back to their natural state. Michiru just nodded and walked into what Haruka presumed to be her hotel room.

After the harsh quip from Haruka, both girls finished the trip in silence. Michiru had only savored a few bags worth of items, so the trip back to the apartment with everything wasn't very uncomfortable. Upon arriving Michiru disappeared into the guest bedroom and Haruka began to clean up what they left from breakfast.

There may have been another person in the apartment, but the atmosphere felt just as lonely as before. So, Haruka began her typical Friday night ritual- sit on the couch with a blanket and watch TV. The hours melted past with no recognition from the couch dweller until the room had become noticeably darker. "Damn, the sun is setting already." Haruka mumbled to herself, not at all surprised with her own laziness.

Glancing at the clock Haruka noticed it was already creeping towards 7 pm. As much as she hated it, the blonde knew that she had to be up early for all of her pre-racing public appearances. Haruka switched off the TV when she heard the faintest sounds coming from the direction of Michiru's room. The sounds gradually grew louder until Haruka recognized the familiar sounds of the violin filling her ears.

After a few minutes Michiru stopped playing. Haruka had missed the way her ex-lover could play the violin. With every song the aqua haired woman could paint the most beautiful picture. Michiru could tell tales of heartbreak, lust, or pure happiness with the way she played her instrument of choice. Haruka was never annoyed by the other girl playing, so hearing it now only reminded her of how much she truly missed the sounds.

Haruka tentatively walked over to Michiru's room and knocked on the door. On the other side of the door a crashing sound followed by a few curse words were heard. "Michi? Are you okay?" Haruka called from the other side of the door. A moment later Michiru swung the door open.

"You startled me, Haruka! I just knocked over my sheet music and stand." Haruka peered around the girl and saw said sheet music scattered around the floor with the stand meeting a similar fate. "I'm assuming you didn't care for the violin music. I apologize and I'll stop right away."

"Not care for it? I was actually coming in here to tell you how much I enjoyed it." Haruka laughed at the notion that she would ever be bothered by Michiru's violin music. "Condition number two states that you're allowed to practice whenever you want while I'm awake." Haruka pointed out to her. Michiru turned around and began to pick up her sheet music.

"Whatever you say, Haruka." Michiru placed her stand upright and neatly lined her sheet music up on it.

"I'm actually going to bed soon. I have to be up early for my public appearances." Haruka admitted, slightly annoyed that her career would take up yet another one of her weekends. Michiru cocked her head to one side.

"What time do you have to be up?" Michiru asked.

"5 am." Haruka grumbled. "I have to be at my agency office by 6:30, so if I'm up at 5 it gives me enough time to comfortably get ready and enjoy at least some of my day before sacrificing the rest of it to other people." Michiru looked slightly amused by the answer but didn't say anything. "So, this is goodnight."

Michiru walked over towards the doorway Haruka hadn't moved from. "Goodnight, Haruka." In what felt like slow motion, Michiru stood up on her toes to give Haruka a quick kiss on the cheek. Even when she moved Haruka could still feel the place her lips had grazed. Completely dazed, Haruka had no choice but to surrender herself to bed.

"Goodnight, Michiru." Haruka gently shut the bedroom door and retired to her bedroom. After her typical night routine, she laid down in bed. For two years Haruka had basically slept alone, yet after sharing her bed for the past two nights, it felt like something was missing. When Haruka brought random girls home she would still classify the bed as empty, but now it felt more than that.

Silently Haruka lay on the pillow that Michiru had been using. The latter was only across the apartment, but to Haruka that felt light years away. Condition number three, don't fall in love, was set in place for Michiru as much as Haruka set it in place for herself. _Does it really count if you never fell out of love?_ The thought bounced around Haruka's mind until the fading scent of vanilla and salt water lulled her into a comfortable sleep.

The next morning Haruka woke up at 5 am sharp. To her surprise the smell of coffee hit her nostrils. Haruka knew that Michiru was a lot of things, but a morning person was not on that list. That fact had initially surprised Haruka, but now the fact that Michiru was up before her was significantly more surprising. Haruka slowly made her way out of bed and into the kitchen to find the younger girl pouring a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Haruka. I thought I would make you some coffee since you're up so early." Haruka sat down and the aforementioned drink was placed in front of her. The blonde took a small sip of the warm liquid, knowing that in a few minutes it would help perk her up.

"Who are you and what have you done with Michiru?" Haruka questioned the younger girl. "The Michiru I know would never be caught dead awake at 5 am. And if she was, someone would have hell to pay for it."

"You know the years I spent on the sea changed me." Michiru placed a plate of food in front of Haruka who hadn't even noticed the younger girl had also cooked breakfast. Haruka just stared at the girl in front of her as if she was a foreign entity. "As I explained before I allowed the ocean to guide me around at its own will. I chose not to keep track of time as we normally would. Time to me was measured as the sunrise and sunset, and soon I found myself on the same cycle."

The coffee finally started to work its way through Haruka's body. Michiru grabbed another plate of food and sat down across from the older girl. "You could've fooled me, Michiru. The past few days you had been sleeping all morning." Haruka explained between bites of food.

"Well I'm not living on the sea anymore, so I suppose older habits may come back after some time." Michiru countered. Haruka nodded in agreement and the two continued their meal.

"You know, you didn't have to do all of this." Haruka pointed out. "But thank you anyways, I did enjoy it."

"Well, I actually wanted to ask you something…" Michiru trailed off and looked at Haruka expectantly. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. "For old times' sake, would you allow me to accompany you to all of your appearances today?"

This question caused Haruka to pause. Back in their high school days, Michiru could have easily been labeled as Haruka's groupie. If there was a Haruka fan club, Michiru would have been the president. But, after the latter left, Haruka began to shape her own image as a professional racer. Besides her publicist and the occasional visit from Setsuna or Hotaru, Haruka went to everywhere alone.

"I understand if you don't want me to. I've already imposed enough, anyways." Michiru quickly added on as if answering her own question. Haruka put her hand up and chuckled.

"I don't mind you coming with me. In fact, it might be nice to have a familiar face in the crowd. It's just that my publicist-" Michiru cut Haruka off.

"Well in that case, I need to start getting ready to go. It's already 5:30 and I don't want to make you wait." Haruka nodded her head and tried to hide the smile forming on her lips. _Well, she's the one who interrupted me. I tried to warn her._ The racer thought to herself. An added bonus to not being completely alone today would be her publicist seeing Michiru. Haruka chuckled to herself and disappeared back into her room to get ready.

At 6:25 am Haruka was parking in her usual spot outside of the agency her publicist worked at. For all of the interviews, Haruka unfortunately had to dress in business casual attire. She loathed not getting the absolute freedom to wear what she wanted. The routine for Haruka was as follows: put on a casual suit, go to the agency, travel with the publicist to whatever interview, answer mindless questions, then repeat the last two steps until the day is over. But today was a bit different for at least Haruka had someone to accompany her.

"You have a reserved parking spot- you must be very important." Michiru mused as she stepped out of the vehicle. Taking no fashion direction from Haruka, the younger woman was sporting a simple baby pink sundress with a white cardigan and white heels. A few pieces of jewelry tied the look together, and with Haruka's tan suit the pair complimented each other quite well.

"Well, my publicist sure seems to think so. She's very adamant about putting me in the spotlight when she can." Haruka said with a tinge of annoyance.

"As a good publicist should!" Haruka led Michiru through the front doors of the large building. Inside was a huge, bubbling fountain sitting atop a pristine hardwood floor. The layout was very open and if one looked up, they would be able to see the many floors the building. Expanded upwards. "This is a nice building. Your publicist must be very good if she has an office here."

"Oh, you'll be very surprised when you see her." Haruka walked around the corner to a row of elevators. After the doors opened, she pressed the number five and they began their ascent to said floor.

"Surprised? What do you mean, Haruka?" The racer closed her eyes and smiled forcibly through gritted teeth. There was no reason to give up the punch line now.

"You'll see soon. Don't worry." Haruka reassured her. The doors opened up to floor five and the duo stepped out. Haruka walked the familiar path to her publicist's office. A faint, aggravated voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Bracing herself, Haruka opened the door and walked in.

"Listen- I don't care who you are, but you should care about who Haruka Tenoh is! If you're telling me that you would rather sponsor the second-best racer in Japan instead of the _first,_ than that is your loss!" These words came from the mouth of a seemingly very angry publicist. Although her back was turned to the pair who just walked in, Haruka could only imagine how frazzled her publicist looked right now.

While Haruka was patiently waiting for her publicist to notice their arrival, Michiru was stiff at her side. "What's the matter Michiru?" Haruka bent down and whispered in her ear.

"You never told me she was your publicist." Michiru harshly whispered back. Although Michiru was obviously frustrated, Haruka couldn't helped but crack a smile.

"Well, you didn't give me a chance this morning, so I thought that this would be the best way." Michiru took a deep breath that Haruka could only guess stemmed from frustration, but the situation at hand seemed hilarious to the latter girl.

"Just remember, you lost Haruka Tenoh as a client! And I, Minako Aino, as her amazing publicist will never consider doing business with you again!" Minako very forcefully shut her cell phone. Most weekend mornings when Haruka came in, she found the younger blonde in a similar situation. Quite frankly she wasn't sure how a 17-year-old managed to actually get Haruka contracts, but she wasn't complaining.

"Good morning, Minako. Another bust, huh?" Haruka sat down in a chair and gestured for Michiru to do the same. Minako took another deep breath before whipping around with a huge smile on her face.

"Good morning, Haruka!" Minako chimed. She began to hand Haruka a paper when she let out an audible and slightly dramatic gasp. "Oh my goodness, Michiru? You're not dead?!" Minako exclaimed and rushed over to the ocean senshi. "After all of this time we all figured you were dead! I mean, Rei and Ami had hope for you, but you know I really thought you kicked the can early!" Minako placed her hands on Michiru's face.

"Of course, being the guardian of love and beauty, I just always knew you would find your way back to Haruka. It's just so romantic!" Minako didn't miss a beat. Haruka cursed herself for allowing Michiru to come, not knowing the youngest would be so hands on with her guest. "And as the guardian of beauty I must say that even after all the time away you haven't aged a single day. You two are just the epitome of young, beautiful love." Minako continued to fawn over them.

"Give it a break, Minako. It's not what you think it is." Haruka stated to the younger blonde. "Michiru came back a few days ago and she just wanted to come with me for old times' sake. If I knew you were going to ask like this, I would have politely asked her to stay at home." Haruka scolded her. Minako cleared her throat and walked back to her own chair.

"You're the boss, Haruka!" Minako said cheerfully, but not before shooting a wink at Michiru who was still a bit in shock about the situation. Switching gears, Minako handed Haruka a piece of paper. "Alright Tenoh, here's your schedule for today. You have a radio interview that's going to last from 8-8:30, then another radio station from 9:30-10. You have a sponsor lunch that's going to last from 11-1:30. After that, you have a magazine interview from 3-4:30, and I convinced them you didn't need a photoshoot." Haruka audibly let out a sigh of relief at this.

"Thanks for that, Minako." Michiru watched the pair from the side, impressed with how they conducted business with one another.

"You know I'm the best!" Minako winked at Haruka. "Your last interview is from 6-8, and it's just a get together with the other racers. If you talk to enough people you might be able to squeeze out of there by 7:30, but don't count on it. You need to make good impressions on these people if you want to get another major sponsor!" Haruka rolled her eyes.

"I know, Minako, I know. I'll try to not look miserable today." Haruka promised her publicist. "It's not a problem if Michiru comes with me, right? None of these are televised interviews?" There wasn't a better way to pose this question, but Haruka didn't want Michiru to be broadcast across television at her interviews. Haruka knew that Setsuna and Hotaru regularly tuned in to these things, and if the latter had kept her word then Setsuna still wouldn't know Michiru came back.

"Nope, no problem with me!" Minako glanced down at her watch. "It's 6:50 now, so we better get going. The radio station we're going to isn't a local station. If we leave now, we'll get there by 7:45!" With that, Minako rushed out of her office leaving the two girls behind. "The limo will be downstairs!" the young girls voice traced off.

"Limo, huh?" Michiru sounded a bit impressed. "And to think you were just a high school racer." The blue-eyed girl chuckled. "Minako hasn't changed a bit. It's nice to know she's still claiming her title of love and beauty."

"Well, Minako tends to push my sponsors for all they're worth. She claims that by riding around in limos my image will be kept up, but I think she enjoys it a bit for herself." Haruka and Michiru made their way back to the elevator.

"How did she become your publicist? Of all people I never would have guessed she would." Michiru continued to try and wrap her head around the situation.

"She's still in high school so she only works on the weekends. Honestly, I didn't ask her to do it but she insisted that she become my publicist." The elevator reached the ground floor and the pair stepped out. After rounding the corner Haruka could see a black stretch limo waiting for them outside. "I can't complain about her. Besides her little spurts of energy, she's a good kid. Since she isn't pursuing becoming an idol, this still gets her a taste of the famous life."

Michiru nodded at Haruka's explanation understanding what it might mean to Minako to be someone important for someone else important. Haruka held open the front door for Michiru and gestured to the limo. "This is our ride. Are you sure you want to come?"

"I'm sure! Thank you again for allowing me to come." The two shared a smile before Haruka opened the car door for Michiru. The blonde climbed in after her younger counterpart and hoped that bringing Michiru so close to the spotlight wouldn't be a bad idea.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: What's up everyone! The reviews have it, so get ready for the new and improved reason Michiru left! I had this planned, but you all wanted it sooner than later, so here you go. There is a flashback marked by _italics _and said flashback will be from Michiru's POV! Keep that in mind. Read, review, and hope you enjoy!

By the time Haruka's last appearance of the day rolled around all three girls were completely exhausted. While Minako and Haruka might be used to the crazy schedule, the fatigue still hit them just as hard. On the other hand, Michiru was shocked that that Haruka went through all these appearances in only one day. Back when they were in high school the racer barely talked to anyone about her career.

"Alright folks, we just have this last appearance to get through." Minako said with a burst of energy Haruka was surprised the young girl still had. Right now, the trio was in the backseat of the limo on the way to wherever Haruka was scheduled to be. "So, Haruka," Minako addressed the racer, "when we arrive it will just be a casual appearance. Talk to the other racers, talk to the press, and most importantly keep a smile on your face!"

As if to emphasize her point Minako plastered a huge grin on her face. Haruka rolled her eyes at the young publicist. "You know I always try my best to." Haruka offered a smile of her own which earned an enthusiastic thumbs up from Minako.

"I have another idea…" Minako trailed off and grinned devilishly at the two older women.

"Well that could be dangerous." Haruka mused earning herself a playful slap from Michiru. "What, did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Be nice, Haruka. She did plan everything for you. The least you could do is listen." Michiru chastised Haruka for her behavior. Minako was eating up the compliments and was beaming when Michiru turned to face her again. "Please, Minako, continue."

"My idea is that you stay by Haruka's side all night!" both girls were about to protest but Minako wouldn't allow her brilliant idea to be interrupted. "Everyone just loves love! Haruka I want you to keep Michiru by your side. You will refer to her as your date." Minako looked at Michiru. "I'm not sure if you know this, but you're still just as popular for your violin skills in Tokyo as right before you dropped off the radar. People here will still recognize you as Michiru Kaioh, famous violin player!"

The youngest girl looked brightly at both women, very pleased with her own idea. "I'm not sure if I want to step back into the spotlight so suddenly." Michiru shyly admitted. Haruka understood where she was coming from. A life of fame wasn't meant for everyone, especially after practically being in isolation for two years.

"Oh, don't worry! It's just for tonight!" Minako reassured her. "Plus, I'm assuming you're going to come to Haruka's race tomorrow anyways, right?" Michiru nodded. "You've already been seen today with Haruka, so if you go to the race tomorrow it will only raise more suspicion. We need to establish who you are before the tabloids run stories on you!" Minako finished with a smile.

Normally Haruka would classify her publicists ideas as nothing less than stupid, but this one made sense to her. The world of the press was brutal and would slander anyone if they got the opportunity to. Haruka didn't want to have Michiru's face plastered over tacky tabloids. "Alright. It makes sense to me." Haruka shrugged. "You're okay with it, Michiru?"

"Well it's two against one in a world I'm not familiar with anymore, so I would say I don't have much of a choice. But yes, I think it makes sense." Michiru agreed more or less to make the two blondes happy. Minako clapped her hands together happily.

"Yay, yay, yay! It's a good thing you agreed since we're here!" Right as Minako finished her sentence the limo came to a halt. "Just remember Haruka-"

"Don't forget to smile." Haruka cut her off with a playful eyeroll. "At this rate you're going to have that phrase engraved on my tombstone." All three women laughed as the chauffeur opened up the door for them.

The other appearances Haruka had made throughout the day were merely formalities as something to keep her name buzzing around. But these meetings between all of the competitors were something much more important. Potential sponsors would be watching Haruka from the sidelines. It didn't matter if she was the best racer in Japan- companies wouldn't want to sponsor someone with a crappy personality.

Haruka stepped out of the limo and stretched out her hand for Michiru to grab. The racer had no doubt that Michiru could pull off their little façade, but Haruka had little faith in herself as an actress. Michiru grabbed Haruka's hand and the two made their way inside the building. "Just stay by my side, okay? I can do most of the talking." Haruka whispered into her counterparts ear.

"I've had my fair share of interviews too, Haruka. You shouldn't doubt me." Haruka nodded knowing that the younger girl could obviously look after herself. As they walked through the front lobby Haruka placed her hand on the small of Michiru's back. In response, Michiru grabbed onto Haruka's arm, and so completed the picture of the perfect "couple".

_It's just for show. Nothing more, nothing less._ Haruka reminded herself, suddenly feeling nervous at the close proximity the two were sharing. Moments later the lobby they were walking through led them to a large ballroom. A sea of nicely dressed men and women greeted the pair. Haruka scanned over the crowd and recognized many faces as her competitors and sponsors alike.

For the next hour and a half, Haruka and Michiru immersed themselves into said sea of people. Both women were exceptionally good at small talk, so the evening went over pretty smoothly. For it being one of Minako's ideas, Haruka thought that everything was going a bit _too_ smoothly. Nonetheless the pair continued to bounce around from person to person until they wound up running into Minako.

"You two are doing absolutely amazing!" the young girl gushed in a hushed tone. "I already got Haruka three more sponsors from this! The limo is already waiting out front, I just need a few more minute to close up this last contract." With that, Minako hurried off to a very well dressed and wealthy looking business man.

"Well, Michiru, I have to hand it to her. She definitely has her moments." Throughout the night Haruka and Michiru hadn't left each others side. In fact, their hands hadn't stopped holding onto one another. As they walked outside Haruka wasn't planning on moving her hand until a bright light flashed in front of her eyes. "What the hell?" she asked and brought her arms up to shield her eyes.

"Haruka! Haruka Tenoh! Is it true that this is your new lover?" Haruka recognized the 'clicks' of cameras to accompany the lights she now identified as a flash.

"Michiru Kaioh- is it true you've finally come back out into the violin scene? Is this a way to help promote your continuing career?" While one reporter was grilling Haruka, another one had appeared on the side to put Michiru on the spot. Through the flashes of light the racer could see that the violinist looked very confused at what was going on.

"Both of us decline to comment. Please go bother someone else." Haruka spat at them. She protectively placed her arm around Michiru's shoulders and guided her outside of the building. The reporters didn't give up their pursuit and the camera flashes followed them all the way to the limo. After making sure the younger girl was in safe, Haruka slammed the door. "Drive. Now." Haruka ordered the driver.

"What about Minako?" Michiru asked, still a bit flustered from the sudden change of pace.

"Don't worry. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The driver will let her know what happened." Haruka leaned back in her seat and buried her face in her hands. She knew that those reporters were from the tabloid magazines. It was one thing for Haruka to be in them, but a tabloid was no place for someone like Michiru.

As if on cue, Haruka's cell phone began to vibrate and the aforementioned girls name filled the screen. Haruka could barely get out a greeting before Minako started yelling for the blonde to put her on speaker phone. "Hello? Haruka? And Michiru?" the limo lurched forward and the flashes of cameras were left behind.

"Reporting for duty." Michiru joked flatly.

"Alright you two, I have good news, bad news, and worst news. Which order do you want them in?" Minako wasted no time in revealing why she was calling- another thing Haruka liked about having her around. It was always straight to the chase with her.

"I'm used to the publicity stuff." Haruka gestured towards Michiru. "You choose what you want to hear first."

"That same order." Michiru looked nervous as she said this. The younger girls body language told a similar story. Between fiddling with her fingers, slightly bouncing her leg, and biting at her lower lip, Haruka began to lose herself in the image of Michiru. For just a moment the girl in front of her let her guard down showing that there was a bit left of the Michiru that left two years ago.

"Alright, good news first!" Minako's voice jolted Haruka out of her thoughts. "I managed to pay off the tabloids that just got pictures of you two so they won't publish them." Haruka knew that Minako had to use the racers money for this, but she didn't care if it meant protecting Michiru. "Now, the bad news is that sometime earlier today paparazzi caught wind of Michiru. They already published something about it."

Haruka sucked air in between her teeth and fell back into her seat. When she looked sideways at Michiru the girl once again looked extremely composed. "And then what's the worst news?" her voice didn't even falter as she asked the question. Haruka had an idea of what the news would be.

"They know." Minako's short response confirmed Haruka's fear. The tabloids were one thing, but Usagi was a force to be reckoned with. The 'they' that Minako referred to was none other than the inner senshi group. "I told them to leave you both alone for now, but you know how Usagi is." Haruka chuckled dryly knowing that Usagi wouldn't leave them alone forever.

"Thanks for always looking out for me, Mina. Have a good rest of your night off, okay?" Haruka flipped the phone shut before the other girl responded.

"That was a bit rude, Haruka, especially after what she just did for us." Michiru remained calm in the midst of all of this. All of the nervous body language she had displayed only a minute before seemed to have been thrown out the window. Haruka just shrugged enveloping the pair in silence.

For the rest of the ride to Haruka's apartment the air was thick. Neither girl said a word to each other. It was almost like a game of who would crack first. From Haruka's standpoint, Michiru seemed to be winning. The girl was so still and quiet, Haruka wasn't sure if she was even breathing. It wasn't until the limo came to a gradual stop that Michiru finally gave up her act of being a statue.

Haruka squinted against the tinted windows trying to see how close they were to the building entrance. There was a good possibility the second the pair stepped out paparazzi would be on them again. "Does more paparazzi even matter?" Michiru looked at Haruka pointedly as if she knew she was answering the thought rattling inside the blonde's head.

"You know after two years of being alone I thought that a bunch of cameras in your face might be too much for you." Haruka said these words harsher than she meant to. _I'm just trying to protect you!_ She screamed internally, but truthfully Haruka didn't know what exactly Michiru needed protection from. Michiru flinched at the words before immediately hardening her gaze.

"I don't know what you're trying to prove, but both of us know I can handle my own." Michiru bit back. Just to prove herself she opened up the limo door and stepped out into the Tokyo night. As predicted, it was very hard to miss a limo parked outside a random building, and within moments Haruka could hear cameras clicking away.

Michiru took little notice of the people around her and simply extended her hand back inside the limo. Rolling her eyes in disbelief Haruka grabbed it and stepped out of the car. Haruka could tell that Michiru was eating up all the attention.

The few random people around the couple were spewing out questions that neither of them were answering. Instead, Michiru was smiling for the camera, turning every which way so each person got a shot of her. "After two years it would be nice to get a decent picture of me." Michiru whispered to Haruka.

"You know you could have just asked me for that!" Haruka said exasperatedly. She was exhausted from the day and not enjoying standing outside for longer than she had to.

"But these guys are professionals." Michiru winked at the cameraman closest to her. Haruka swore if she wouldn't get backlash that she would have slapped the look off of his face after Michiru winked at him. His eyes looked hungry, but Michiru wouldn't be going anywhere but to Haruka's apartment tonight if she could help it.

"Alright everyone, you got your pictures. Have a great night." Haruka grabbed Michiru by her elbow and gently dragged her towards the door albeit a bit too quickly. She didn't let go until they were both in the elevator and away from the pack of wolves that would most likely camp outside of the building for a while longer. "Those men disgust me." Haruka voiced her thought out loud.

"So, your opinion on popular men hasn't changed, Ruka?" Michiru smiled innocently at Haruka.

"You flirting with popular men hasn't changed, Michi?" Haruka shot back at her. The line was wavering between seriousness and joking when the elevator finally brought them to Haruka's floor.

"If you're referring to Seiya, I'll have you know that you just walked in at the wrong time!" Michiru defended herself as she had done many times before about the same issue.

"That was so long ago." Haruka stated trying to fight more old memories from resurfacing. It was not the time for her to be thinking about her past with Michiru whether it was good or bad. Haruka was about to open the apartment door when Michiru put a hand up. "Can I help you?" the question was posed with a tinge of annoyance as Haruka was stalled even further form curling up into her bed.

"Someone is here." Michiru stated calmly looking intensely at the door. Haruka sighed.

"What? Like someone is inside my apartment?" Michiru nodded shifting her gaze between the other girl and the door. "A few of my close friends have keys, you know. Plus if someone really broke in I promise I could kick their ass." Haruka pushed the key into the lock and opened the door.

As the pair crossed the threshold Haruka couldn't help but notice that the atmosphere did seem different. The presence of someone, or something, else was quite evident. Haruka signaled for Michiru to stay behind her as they walked slowly towards the living room. "How much longer were you going to wait to tell me?"

Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice coming from her living room couch. Upon realizing who the voice belonged to, she nearly jumped out of her window. "Peace and quiet." Haruka angrily ran her hand through her hair. "All I wanted is peace and quiet when I got home." The older girl had sensed Michiru stiffen at the voice, but now she was matching Haruka step by step as they walked into the living room.

"Hello, Setsuna." Michiru stepped forward. The aforementioned Setsuna was sitting nonchalantly on the cough as if the younger two girls were the one bothering her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Two years." Setsuna replied with a dry smile. "You haven't changed a bit, have you." This time Haruka could visibly see Michiru become uncomfortable with what Setsuna said. The way the older girl said Michiru hadn't changed wasn't a question, but more of a statement. Something seemed off between the two, and all Haruka could do was watch.

"I'd like to say that spending time with my mother element helped change me for the better." Michiru was desperately grasping for a comeback, but to no avail.

"Ah, yes I sense a change did happen while you were away." Haruka looked questioningly at Michiru. As far as she knew there was no real rhyme or reason for why Michiru left. The excuse Haruka was fed was very poor, but Michiru was a private person and wouldn't dare push her so quickly upon arriving back. Setsuna obviously had other ideas.

Haruka didn't even need to guess how Setsuna found out Michiru was back. Between Usagi and Hotaru knowing along with the older woman being the soldier of time, Setsuna could know almost anything she wanted regarding the past, present, and future. "Although I'm so happy all three of us could be reunited, might I remind both of you lovely ladies that I have an important race tomorrow." Sarcasm dripped heavily off of the words.

"I'm sorry, Haruka, but I believe that Michiru is leaving out a vital piece of what happened while she was gone." This made Haruka perk up. Michiru had looked uncomfortable this whole time, but now Haruka recognized the look on her face as almost… guilty.

"Is that true, Michiru?" Haruka asked softly. Michiru nodded slowly and looked as if she were about to cry. This sparked another fire of rage inside the blonde similar to the one she felt at the reporter, but this time it was directed towards Setsuna. "Look Sets, I'm not sure what you're trying to get at here but you're obviously making Michiru upset. I am all for visits from you, but I didn't give you a spare key to harass my guest."

It was Setsuna's turn to look surprised as Haruka had rarely ever talked back to the older girl. Mostly it had been out of respect, but Setsuna always had an interesting aura radiating off of her that Haruka had been slightly weary of. "I assume that means Michiru is staying here?"

"Hai. Haruka allowed me to for the time being." Michiru spoke up again. "I was going to explain eventually but it appears you're willing me to do this now, Setsuna." The aforementioned girl nodded seriously.

"It would do both of you good to clear the air now." Setsuna began to stand up much to a dumbfounded Haruka's surprise.

"Hold on. You're going to break into my apartment, accuse Michiru of lying to me, and then leave?" The corners of Setsuna's lips tugged up slightly into another smirk.

"It's not breaking in when you have a key." Haruka felt like screaming at this point.

"That's not the point, Setsuna!" Michiru walked over to Haruka's side at gently placed a hand on her back. The touch instantly began to bring Haruka's anger down to a manageable level. More than anything she was just annoyed that she still wasn't in her bed yet.

"My apologies, Haruka. I have looked into many different scenarios and I've seen where different paths will take all of us." Setsuna's voice sounded a bit deeper and more far off than usual. Haruka recognized her inner Plutonian coming forth as it typically did when involving time. "Michiru, it would be wise for you to tell Haruka everything now, before you hurt her again."

Haruka clenched her jaw at the last bit of the sentence. Of course Michiru knew that she had hurt Haruka by leaving, but knowing that there was another possibility of doing so set Haruka on edge. "I think it would be best for me and Haruka to be alone." Michiru said softly to Setsuna.

"I agree with that." Setsuna dipped her head and smiled gently at the couple. "Fate can be cruel, but everything makes sense in the end." With that statement Setsuna quickly disappeared out of the apartment leaving Haruka to wrap her head around everything. Michiru's hand had yet to leave Haruka's back, and the latter felt herself being gently pushed towards the couch.

"Wait, do you actually have something to tell me?" Some part of Haruka willed Setsuna to be completely wrong in her accusations, but apparently that was not the case. Michiru sighed and guided the other girl to sit on the couch.

"I would like to show you something, Haruka." Before she could argue Michiru disappeared into her room. In a matter of a few days it felt like Haruka's life was spiraling out of control. It seemed that Michiru's departure and arrival brought a bunch of unwanted attention into the racers life. A slight dip in the couch alerted Haruka that Michiru was back.

"Your Deep Aqua Mirror?" Michiru handed the talisman to Haruka. "But why?"

"I need to clarify a few things, Haruka." Haruka stared at Michiru so intently she thought she could rival a deer looking into headlights. "When I said I left because of nightmares, I was telling the truth. I was truly afraid that a new enemy was awakening." Michiru paused. "I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you die again, so I left to face this alone."

Haruka narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly, not really sure where this was going. "You know this sounds awfully similar to what you told me before…"

"I didn't tell you the full story, and I apologize." Michiru cut her off. This time Haruka just sat back and listened. "My mother element was calling me, so I answered. As I told you I spent my time floating over the open waters- but that isn't all true." Michiru placed her hand over Haruka's so that they were both grasping the Deep Aqua Mirror. Seconds later the glass began to glow. "Now Haruka, I need you to just watch from my eyes…"

_Michiru sat on the deck of a very small, wooden sailboat. She was surrounded by ocean on all four sides, yet she couldn't be happier. Smelling the air laced with salt, hearing the waves form, and feeling her boat bob through the water made Michiru feel content. The girl, barely outside of her teenage years, probably looked crazy if anyone saw her. Michiru may have physically been alone but she knew as long as she stayed by the ocean she would have a companion._

_So, when her boat began moving in the opposite direction of the wind, Michiru didn't fight it. There were no evil auras or bad vibes, but a higher calling of sorts. Mother Neptune was pulling Michiru to her ultimate destiny. _

_Hours passed and the sky grew to a mix of warm shades of pink and orange that disappeared in the horizon. Michiru's thoughts flashed to a familiar blonde face- one that she thought of quite often. Anything that brought her joy, whether related to Haruka or not, usually brought a memory of the older to the forefront of Michiru's brain. The ocean senshi smiled as the sun finally dipped below the horizon line and washed everything into darkness._

_Sleep came easier than usual. The small boat had a room underneath the deck just big enough for Michiru to feel comfortable in. Luckily it had a bed so Michiru wasn't forced to sleep on the plain wood floor. For the first time in what seemed like months, there were no nightmares. Tonight, Michiru dreamed of her home planet Neptune. _

_She dreamed about dressing up in a beautiful gown as Princess Neptune and gracefully dancing the waltz in a ballroom. Visions of fighting, a garden, Princess Serenity, all of the inner soldiers, and most importantly Sailor Uranus flashed in front of her eyes. Michiru was hit with a pang of sadness when she woke up alone on her boat, mentally grasping for the fleeting images of her dreams._

_Something felt different. It didn't hit Michiru until she looked in her Deep Aqua Mirror that something about herself seemed… off. Just the day before while staring at her reflection, she saw her own eyes staring back. But today she was met with the eyes of Sailor Neptune. These eyes, though they may look the same, had been hardened by images of death. They had been alive when Sailor Saturn first swung her Silence Glaive and destroyed the world she once knew. These eyes were the ones that belonged to Princess Neptune in the past, and now they had found her again. That was the day Michiru Kaioh fully awakened into Eternal Sailor Neptune._

Michiru shakily removed her hand from on top of Haruka's. The latter girl was doing everything in her power to control her emotions as the mirror went blank. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Haruka repeated the words Setsuna had said earlier, but deliberately posed them as a question.

"I don't know how long I had been gone for, but no. Awakening into the eternal form really stops you from aging." Michiru spoke quietly now.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Haruka's voice was just as quiet as Michiru's. She couldn't get mad at fate. Fate is what brought the pair together in the first place. Awakening into her eternal form was just another cruel destiny that awaited both girls as soldiers. Haruka just hadn't toyed with the idea it might happen at different times.

"I hadn't seen you in two years. I didn't think a proper greeting would be mentioning to you that I also stopped aging while I was away." Haruka stood up, completely unsure of what her next move would be.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Michiru. I guess Setsuna already knew, but I suppose it comes with her job." Haruka was being ridiculously stiff with her words. "I need some time to think about everything. Goodnight." With that, Haruka left Michiru alone on the couch with the blank talisman.

As Haruka climbed into bed she couldn't help but laugh at the cruel hints the universe had been dropping around her for the past few days. Minako and Haruka herself had even mentioned how Michiru looked basically the same as when she left. Now the reason was clear. Haruka willed her mind to calm down as sleep began to take over her. As her eyes closed the wind senshi prayed to her own mother planet that she could awaken as well, if only to know Uranus and Neptune would never be separated again.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hi! I'm glad most of y'all seemed to enjoy the last chapter! So far, the story has been going pretty slow, but it's going to start speeding up. If it doesn't then the story would go on for a _long_ time. I will also be going on vacation to Colorado next week, so here is a longer chapter since there's a good chance the next one won't be posted until closer to May. Read, review, and enjoy!

Haruka gripped the steering wheel of her racecar with a terrifying strength. It was Sunday and while Haruka was in the middle of her race, her mind was elsewhere. After everything that happened yesterday involving Michiru there was no way the blonde could push that out of her mind. Ever since Michiru showed back up, Haruka's mind had been just that, Michiru, but now it was clouded with questions.

The gas pedal was practically pressing down on the floor while Haruka whipped past cars. Other racers were left behind in literal clouds of dust as her tires kicked it up while going around turns. Haruka could see her pit crew coming up, waving at her to try and get her to stop. In all of her stubbornness Haruka had turned her headset off so she didn't have to deal with any calls. The absence of a certain blue haired woman from the crowd today only fueled her anger.

_I don't need to stop. _The driver thought stubbornly to herself, although Haruka didn't miss the looks of disbelief on her crews face as she drove past them at a neck breaking speed. A good driver would have stopped, but Haruka considered herself to be the _best _racer- an elite category that only she could be in. With that logic there was no need to stop, meaning there was no chance for the press to bother her about the blue haired girl.

In retrospect, Haruka should have stopped. A good portion of the other cars were lapped behind her multiple times, and the other portion wouldn't have caught up even if she chose to take a pit stop. Nothing was pumping through Haruka's blood but pure adrenaline at this point. No sounds, no other people, and most importantly no intrusive thoughts.

First place was so close that Haruka could almost taste it. There was only a handful of laps left before her hands were going to be wrapped around a first-place trophy. Only a few laps before she could get out of her now very sweaty uniform and shower. Only a few laps before Minako would give her a high five for getting first place. Only a few laps before she could go home where Michiru was-

The last thought took Haruka by surprise, but not as much as the car in front of her. One second the blonde could almost taste the finish line, while in the next second, she was spinning out of control. Haruka couldn't control her car as it spun across the race track. Dirt flew up around the sides as the car made its way into the grass. _Minako is going to kick my ass._ Was the last thought Haruka had before another car hit the driver's side and her world faded to black.

Haruka opened her eyes expecting to be hit with waves of pain. For being in a serious accident, the racer remembered everything. While this fact could most likely be linked to the expedited healing abilities all guardians possessed, Haruka still sent out a silent prayer to whoever was watching over her. Dying was something Haruka unfortunately had experience with, and it wasn't fun.

"Where the hell am I?" Haruka mumbled aloud as her eyes finally began to adjust around her. She was currently sitting in a courtyard in front of an extremely exquisite looking castle. In the distance was a larger than life light blue orb. All of this seemed very familiar to Haruka, yet she couldn't figure out why.

A gust of wind blew past the blonde which alerted her to the fact she apparently wasn't wearing her racing outfit anymore. The skirt that belonged to the outfit of Sailor Uranus ruffled around her thighs. Haruka always hated how short this outfit was. She spun in a quick circle still not recognizing where she was, but not a soul was in site.

"Well, I guess I died." Haruka spoke her fate aloud with a shrug. After dying twice, she was pretty desensitized to these kinds of things. Granted, this didn't _look_ like the same place Haruka had went to when she passed before, but the view was nice enough. Within a matter of seconds Haruka had overcome every internal battle and just accepted this to be her forever.

"You're not dead." The statement came from a very familiar and slightly annoyed voice. Haruka spun around only to wish she hadn't. In front of her stood Michiru, well technically Sailor Neptune seeing as though she was clad in her senshi uniform, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Awe, really? That's too bad. I thought the afterlife didn't look so bad this time around." Haruka feigned a bit of disappointment in her voice. "You know what they say after all, the third time's a charm!" Neptune shot Haruka a sharp look that would cause any sane person to be terrified, but the latter didn't fall into that category.

"You're so crude, Uranus." Haruka felt a bit uncomfortable at the name. It had been a while since anyone called her by that, and it brought up memories she had worked so hard to push to the back of her mind. "Do you recognize this place?" Neptune's facial features softened a bit as she looked expectantly at Haruka.

"Yes and no. Part of me thinks I've been here before, but I don't remember anything besides that." Haruka admitted. "Uh, not to be too forward because I know you're obviously Sailor Neptune. But which one?" the blonde awkwardly worded the question. With the way the senshi was behaving it seemed obvious that this wasn't just Michiru in her transformed state.

Neptune laughed at the question at hand. "I'm Sailor Neptune of the Silver Millennium. And this," she pointed to the looming building behind Haruka, "is Miranda Castle. It was your home gifted to you by the Queen herself to orbit your home planet, Uranus." Her hand shifted to point at the blue orb and Haruka wanted to slap herself for not knowing what Uranus looked like.

Haruka thought that hearing the confirmation of all this would spark a slew of memories in her mind, but nothing really came forward. Part of her was disappointed at this. "So why are you, or whoever, showing me all of this?" Haruka ventured. "I still don't buy that I haven't died." Neptune decided to ignore that last comment.

"I wanted to show you your destiny, Haruka." A chill went through the aforementioned girl's body. There was immense power radiating off the presence of the old Neptune, a power that Haruka felt when she said her name.

"This is all in the past. How can my destiny be the same?" Haruka countered. She knew that the Silver Millennium had risen and fallen for whatever reason the universe seemed fit. If something was destroyed, Haruka didn't understand why it needed to be brought back.

"Eternal Sailor Neptune has awoken. My soul now stays with your Michiru at all times." Haruka stiffened at this fact. Between having someone else confirm what happened with Michiru, to having Michiru be called _hers_, and to know that this very different version of Sailor Neptune was nesting inside Michiru- it was a lot to take in at once. "Don't worry, Michiru isn't going to change from the way she always has been. She will still be the same girl you've known.

"But I still must pass along this message. Eternal Sailor Neptune cannot fulfill her destiny without the help of you, Uranus. One day you will fully awaken as well." Haruka noticed Neptune looking at her in almost a longing way. It was then she realized that this Neptune was waiting for her own lover, presumably her old self, to completely awaken inside Haruka. "It's not your time yet, to awaken or to sleep forever." Neptune smiled at her sadly.

The vivid scenery around the pair began to fade away at the edges leaving Haruka with a lot more questions than answers. "Wait! Neptune! Don't go yet, I have more questions!" Haruka exclaimed to the woman standing before her. Neptune was beginning to fade away with the scenery.

"I'll see you soon my Uranus… don't worry…"

"…don't worry." As the Silver Millennium faded away from Haruka's vision, Neptune's words carried over but was replaced by someone else's voice.

"She's opening up her eyes now!" Another frantic voice said.

"I was there when it happened, so move out of the way girls!" Haruka could pinpoint that as Minako's voice, but no matter how hard she tried her eyes were refusing to adjust to the room around her.

"Maybe we should _all _give her some space. She had quite a fall." A quiet voice piped up presumably from farther back. No sooner than that said did a chorus of different voices began arguing about who apparently go to stand closer to Haruka.

"If she's opening her eyes, you do realize she can most likely hear you, right?" Now this was the voice Haruka could pick out of a crowd if she was forced to. She cracked open a small smile and her eyes finally decided to adjust. The first thing Haruka saw were deeply concerned blue eyes, but she knew who they belonged to.

"Mm hi Neptune I thought you stayed in my head." Haruka mumbled realizing just how sleepy she was now. The more she stared into the blue eyes the more she felt like she was being lifted up on a cloud. All the coherent thoughts in her brain came out of her mouth like complete garbage. A chorus of giggles sounded from the other corner of the room.

"Be nice you girls, she had quite an accident and she's probably feeling the pain meds." Haruka watched as "Neptune" defended her. "Haruka, I'm just Michiru right now. Were you having a dream with Neptune in it?" Haruka shook her head slowly, feeling as if it were a brick. Slowly but surely the fogginess surrounding her head began to clear up allowing Haruka to fully take in her surroundings.

In one corner Setsuna and Hotaru were huddled next to one another. The younger girl looked slightly concerned while the elder looked like this was just another regular day. The girls that stood in the other corner was what really surprised Haruka. If she could feel her eyebrows, she would have raised one at the site of Usagi, Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako clumped together.

Finally, Haruka turned and looked at the girl standing right next to her. It was in fact Michiru and it suddenly felt very odd to have everyone here in the room. Instead of socializing with one another everyone had clearly separated themselves into their respective cliques of inners and outers. With the visit from Setsuna last night it was no wonder Michiru was keeping her distance as well. Poor Hotaru was stuck in the middle of their personal mess.

"I'm in the hospital, right?" Haruka asked. It was more of a rhetorical question now that her surroundings were clear. Behind her visitors were plain white walls and Haruka was becoming aware of a beeping noise coming from some machine behind her. "I appreciate you all coming here, but how did you manage to get everyone back here?"

"That would be me." Ami spoke up from the group of inner senshi. "My mother is the head doctor on this floor today, so she managed to pull a few strings." The younger blue haired girl dipped her head and stepped back into her group of friends. It was obvious she didn't like being the center of attention.

"Besides Minako, Michiru was the first one here. We all got here afterwards." Usagi spoke up. This small fact that Michiru arrived first caused Haruka's heart to beat just a bit faster. Minako had been at the race so she was most likely by her side the whole way to the hospital.

"Haruka you have some nerve for doing what you did at the race! What were you thinking?" this time Minako spoke up and took a step towards Haruka.

"Give her a break, Minako. She just woke up." Rei argued with the blonde who immediately crossed her arms and pouted.

"At least let her get out of the hospital before you start all the lecturing." Makoto agreed. A dull throb had begun to make its presence known in the back of Haruka's head. The arguing of the group of teenagers that was beginning wasn't making this any better.

"Minako makes a fair point." Setsuna spoke up from her spot in the corner. "Haruka shouldn't have been reckless, but this is not the time or place to discuss nor argue. Everyone should be grateful that she is okay." No one dared to argue with Setsuna. Out of all of the guardians she was the oldest and most mysterious. Even though they had all been acquainted for close to 5 years the elder guardian intimidated all of the inners.

A quiet sniffle broke through the silence that had laid down over the room after Setsuna spoke. Haruka knew of only one person who could be possibly crying at a time like this. "Usagi, why are you crying?" she strained to see the two blonde buns sticking up from the back of the group. Usagi had been trying to conceal herself.

"It's just that, I saw it happen on TV, and I was so worried about you." Usagi managed to say through a bit of sniffling. Haruka grimaced inwardly at the thought of the accident being broadcast on television. The last thing she wanted was to become the star of an internet famous video of her car crashing.

"Ah, koneko, I always knew you couldn't resist me! You were watching my race?" Haruka wasn't necessarily flirting with the girl but trying to make her laugh.

"Actually, we all were." Ami admitted.

"Yea, it's sort of become a thing for us. Ever since Minako became your publicist." Makoto added. Rei just stood there not admitting or denying if she tuned in with them.

"You have a dedicated fan club!" Minako cheered and flashed a 'V' sign.

"Thank you all for visiting me, but really you should be going soon. You have school tomorrow and I don't want you to be tired because of me." Haruka winked at them feeling a twinge of pain as she did so. Obviously, something wasn't right with her head and she expected Setsuna to lay it on her thick once the younger girls left, regardless of what the elder had said earlier.

"But why does Hotaru get to stay?" Usagi pouted yet again at the thought of the younger girl staying longer than them.

"That's none of our business Usagi. Now let's leave them alone." Rei huffed at the blonde. After exchanging a few more goodbyes and promises that Minako would keep them updated, the five girls began to leave the room. Of course, not without a "don't think this is over!" whispered by Minako while the others weren't paying attention. Haruka had a feeling this was far from over.

"Alright Sets lay it on me. I know you want to." Haruka sighed once the room dwindled down to the makeshift family of outer senshi. Surprisingly the green haired woman just shook her head.

"I think your recovery will be punishment enough and will remind you not to be that unfocused once again." Setsuna's voice hung stiffly in the air. It was now, Haruka realized, that whatever pain medications had been pumped into her system were bound to wear off soon. The painless wave she had been riding was going to crash down soon. "As you said before, there is school tomorrow. Hotaru and I will be off."

The latter hadn't said a word while she was there, but she didn't need to. Haruka could see how relieved Hotaru was just to see that she was awake and not seriously hurt. They bid each other farewell and that left Haruka alone with a certain blue haired woman.

"You're quite a mess today aren't you Haruka." Michiru didn't hesitate in starting their conversation. Haruka was grateful for this as she didn't want to spend her time listening to the beeping of the machine. At least this way they could talk over most of it.

"I just had a lot going on in my mind." There was no point in lying about that. From the way Haruka left Michiru the night before, it was very clear the blonde had a lot of things to work out with herself.

"And that was my fault." Michiru placed a hand gently over Haruka's. She wore a mixed expression of relief and guiltiness, and the blonde could guess where each feeling stemmed from, but she just shrugged.

"It's no one's fault but mine. I was being careless." Haruka didn't want to shift the blame to anyone or anything else. At the end of the day it had been her dumb idea to not stop at the pit. If she did there might have been a chance Haruka would have missed the accident. All in all, she knew her cockiness was going to catch up with her at some point. "Alright, what's the damage, doc?" Haruka joked but was actually curious to what extent she was hurt.

"First Neptune, then doc. Is your concussion that bad you've forgotten my name, Haruka?" Michiru joked but the older girl felt her face flush slightly when she mentioned calling her Neptune. It had been bad enough if Haruka said that while they were alone, but in front of everyone else was mortifying, "Besides that, you have a few broken ribs on your left side, a sprained wrist, and a lot of bruising. If you weren't wearing your helmet it's likely you would have ended up with a lot worse."

Haruka winced at the diagnosis knowing that she wouldn't be able to race for a while with broken ribs. Senshi healing powers be damned, it still took any of them a few weeks to heal from broken bones. Plus, once the press got word of her injuries, it didn't matter. Haruka would have to keep a low profile while she "healed" at a normal pace. "Concussion, huh? That must be why my head feels so fuzzy."

"You're also slurring your words a bit, but that's to be expected." Haruka could feel Michiru nervously playing with her fingers on top of Haruka's hand. "You know we were all extremely worried. It isn't good to pass out right after a concussion. What were you thinking?" Michiru sighed deeply while looking down at Haruka.

"I wasn't thinking." The answer came off like the most nonchalant thing in the world, which it was until Haruka noticed water brimming in the eyes of the girl sitting next to her. "Come on Michi, don't be like Usagi. I'm here and I'm okay." Michiru cracked a smile at this one.

"Concussion or not, why did you call me Neptune? Are you having visions again?" There was a worried tone in Michiru's voice. The thought of a new enemy had somehow always worked itself into the back of their minds. Haruka shook her head 'no'.

"Eternal Sailor Neptune decided to visit me just to tell me how poor she thought my choices were." Haruka purposefully left out all the parts about destiny. Referring to Michiru as eternal felt weird. "Alright then, question for a question, why would you hide that from me in the first place?"

Michiru cast her eyes downward. Of all things for Haruka to ask of course she would be hitting the hard stuff. "I apologize again for keeping it from you. When I came back and saw you, it was all too much, and that was just _me_. I couldn't begin to imagine what would have happened if I came back and added that on top of everything." It was a weak explanation, but Haruka knew that this was how Michiru was. Even years ago, when they first met the younger girl didn't want to reveal her identity for fear she would ruin Haruka's life.

"Why were you driving so reckless?" Michiru looked back up at Haruka. "A question for a question. We should keep going until the doctor comes back." The blonde laughed at the bold question. Just like herself, Michiru got straight to the hard stuff.

"Honestly? I was upset with you. But don't blame yourself. It was just my stubbornness." Haruka tried to shrug but a sharp pain in her left side stopped her. She hissed through her teeth and her hands instinctively came up to grab her side. This caused Haruka's wrist to burn at the movement. "Kami! Whatever they gave me to ease the pain is already starting to wear off."

A hand gently found its way to Haruka's forehead and pushed her bangs back. Of course, Michiru's natural motherly instincts would come into play when someone else was hurt. "You need to be more careful. It's going to hurt for a little while." The touch of the younger girl was all the medicine Haruka needed. Calm washed over her like an ocean wave.

"Why were you the first person to get to the hospital?" Haruka tested even deeper waters. Underlying this question was the obvious _why do you care so much?_ but Haruka wasn't in the right state of mind to focus on the hardest hitting questions.

"I almost didn't come at all, but I felt a pull inside me. It reminded me of when we always fought together." Michiru's eyes flashed quickly, but Haruka still caught it. Neptune had surfaced at the blonde guessed that her answer was heavily influenced by the past soldier. "It was like you were crying out for, and I had to answer."

That last park was probably true. It wouldn't have surprised Haruka one bit to find out that she had subconsciously been calling out to Michiru. For the years the younger girl was away Haruka had consciously been calling out to her. It only took so long for her to finally answer. "Your turn!" Haruka said before her mind could focus on any other depressing thoughts from her past.

After giving Michiru that command, Haruka couldn't think straight. The younger girl had leaned in uncomfortably close to her with their noses almost touching. Sterile hospital smells were overridden by the intoxicating smell that Michiru always brought with her. Haruka's mind flashed back to the past, but this time the image of when they had both broken down and kissed in the living room filled her head.

"Why is it that you get so nervous when I'm this close, Haruka?" Her soft breath tickled Haruka's cheek. A beeping noise was steadily increasing in speed when Haruka realized the ECG monitor she was hooked up to give away her feelings. What Michiru was doing seemed almost childlike, yet it still had a strong effect on the blonde. "You can answer that later." Michiru quickly sat back up as the door to the room opened. Haruka felt a bit flustered while neatly flattened her skirt as if nothing had happened. The moment had been cut too short for her liking.

"Tenoh Haruka! My, my, it's good to see you're finally awake!" An older woman stepped into the room. Clad in a white lab coat that read _Dr. Mizuno_ and the striking similarity between the woman and Ami, Haruka safely deduced that this was her mother. "You had quite an accident today." The woman flipped through papers she had with her. "Broken ribs, sprained wrist, concussion- how are you feeling?"

"I've been better, and I've been worse." Haruka answered honestly causing the older woman to laugh. "Thank you for allowing everyone to visit early Dr. Mizuno. It was nice seeing everyone."

"Don't be silly Haruka, call me Saeko. You're not the first of Ami's friends I've had in this hospital and with the way you all behave I don't think you'll be the last." Saeko flipped to the front of the papers and looked straight at Michiru. "Do you two live together?"

"Hai." Michiru answered with a curt nod. "If there's anything I need to watch for regarding Haruka, please let me know."

"Alright then. Haruka, I'm going to get your discharge paperwork started. You need to be on strict bed rest for at least a week with that concussion of yours. After that, no heavy lifting or anything physical for a month because of your broken ribs." Haruka was visibly annoyed by this time frame. Regardless of how quickly she healed, she knew Michiru wouldn't allow her to involve herself with any extraneous activity. Saeko looked at Michiru again. "And I'm counting on you to make sure that this goes down smoothly, okay?" Both girls nodded.

After that the process of getting discharged went by rather quickly. Haruka fought being led out of the hospital in a wheelchair, there was nothing wrong with her legs after all, but Michiru and the nurse insisted that it was policy. Although that battle had been lost, the real battle was only beginning once they arrived at the apartment.

"Absolutely not Haruka. Go lie down." Michiru stood in the kitchen blocking the cabinet Haruka was trying to reach into. They had only gotten home an hour ago when Haruka decided she was tired of being useless and wanted to make herself dinner. The task was a bit harder seeing as though she couldn't really reach up or bend over without pain, and she only had one good hand.

"I'm bored!" Haruka retorted and tried to cross her arms, but that just caused pain once again. The injured woman sighed in defeat. It had been a while since she was this hurt and the limitations to what she could do were already driving her crazy. Michiru wasn't budging so Haruka went to go lay on the couch. Luckily, she could lay on her right side without too much pain.

Haruka flicked on the television but found that the combination of noises and colors just caused her head to throb. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the TV will only make your head feel worse." Michiru confirmed what Haruka had just figured out by this. The younger girl took a step towards the couch, but seemingly changed her mind and began walking towards her own bedroom. Haruka had no idea how long their day had been. Judging by the darkness outside it was apparent that it was getting late. "Well, goodnight Haruka. Let me know if you need anything."

It was probably the concussion that caused her to say the next thing. Well, that was Haruka's excuse if anyone decided to question her. "Could you lay with me?" the question was suspended in the air surrounded by a thin veil of innocence. Despite her adult figure Haruka looked like a child curled up on the couch.

"If you would like me to." Michiru didn't hesitate in answering and walked towards the couch. Haruka tried to move her body in a way that would fit both of them, but it was no use. "Allow me." Michiru gently guided Haruka into a sitting position so there was room for both of them. Once the younger woman sat down, she motioned for Haruka to lay her head in her lap. Haruka was about to say something but Michiru shook her head. "Sleep now. I know you're tired."

Michiru moved her hands into Haruka's hair and brushed it out with her fingers. The feeling was so soothing it wasn't hard for her to start giving into the command. "Goodnight." Was all Haruka heard before the feeling of fingers in her hair and exhaustion whisked her away into sleep.

And so, with Haruka being stuck at home and Michiru having nothing else to do, they fell into a routine. Two weeks had come and gone since they arrived home from the hospital, and with that the concussion was long gone, her wrist was manageable, but her ribs had yet to fully heal. The only thing Haruka had looked forward to each day was what she could only call their nightly "cuddle session".

Each night they would end up on the cough together. For a while it was Haruka who would lay with her head on Michiru's lap and fall asleep, but with her injuries healing the blonde had insisted that they switched positions. This insistence wasn't something said aloud, but a need that manifested inside Haruka. It seemed as if there was some silent agreement that the closeness that drew them in each night was something that shouldn't be spoken about. So it wasn't.

The routine had only proved that Haruka and Michiru were still very capable housemates. Both knew what the other liked and disliked whether it came to food, cleanliness, music, or anything else. _We're old friends_. Haruka told herself after realizing how close the two seemed to be growing. Each day had been filled with laughter, smart remarks, and small touches. Their relationship was something neither of them dared speak about due to both of them being touchy about the past.

This particular day the sun seemed to be going down extra slow. Haruka suddenly felt antsy. She was doing what she knew she shouldn't be- overthinking. Michiru took this moment to lift her eyes from the pages of the book she had been reading. "Is everything alright?" the question was said innocently, yet it left a certain heart beating much faster.

"Just a bit tired. I'm ready to go and race again." Haruka answered. It might not have been why she was antsy at this moment, but it also wasn't a whole lie. Michiru made a humming noise and turned her attention back to her book. Haruka's heart hadn't slowed down and this jarred her memory back to a certain memory from her brief hospital visit. "You remember that game we were playing in the hospital?"

Michiru put down her book. "Question for a question?" she ventured. Haruka nodded.

"Well I never got to ask my last question." Haruka raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I suppose you're right." Michiru matched her smirk. "But you never answered my question, so I'm afraid it's still technically my turn." Haruka faltered just for a moment as this was playing out different than she imagined, but she quickly recovered.

"Remind me what it was again." Haruka's words were purely flirtatious now, but Michiru didn't miss a beat.

"I believe I asked you why you were getting so nervous when I got close to you. Your heart rate kept shooting up. It was quite cute you know." Michiru flipped her hair over her shoulder thinking that she had won their little banter. Little did she know that was exactly the answer Haruka was looking for.

It took about two seconds for Haruka to be pressed against Michiru. The blonde had maneuvered herself to where her hands were on either side of the younger woman, but their bodies were gently touching. "Funny, because I was going to ask you how nervous you'd get if I pulled the same stunt you did." Haruka smiled at the girl beneath her.

"You're so childish." The words were meant to come out strong, but they ended up as a whisper. Haruka leaned in even closer trying to ignore the pain her ribs were giving her.

"You started it." Haruka laughed and pushed herself off of Michiru, leaving the younger woman quite frazzled. Her cheeks were flushed a light red as she tried to regain her composure. "Well now we both asked questions and didn't get an answer, so I'd say we're even." Haruka said smugly, believing herself to be the true winner in this situation.

Neither of them said another word, so Michiru went back to her original spot and resumed her reading. Haruka mindlessly straightened anything that seemed remotely out of place. After what seemed like an eternity the sun finally set, and the two women found themselves back on the couch. Haruka had one arm lazily around Michiru's waist, while the other girl was pressed up to Haruka's front. They mindlessly watched some stupid show until both of them dozed off for the evening.

Hours later Haruka woke up finding her body comfortably fitting around the sleeping figure of Michiru. The smaller woman was warm and cozy. Haruka had missed the feeling of falling asleep and waking up next to the same person. She snuggled back down so her nose was buried in the back of Michiru's neck.

What they were doing felt dangerous to Haruka. She could deal with concussions, sprained wrists, and broken ribs all day, but the older woman had yet to find a way to deal with her heart. So that's why right now, as the smell of Michiru's shampoo hit Haruka's nostrils, it took every ounce of willpower Haruka had not to admit all the feelings that were inside her.

When Michiru left two years ago Haruka had tried to send her feelings away with her. Of course, her feelings had stayed so she had decided the safest option was to pretend that they didn't exist. When Michiru came back she brought the ocean breeze that whispered reminders of their past times together- their past feelings. As sleep claimed Haruka once again, she wondered if Michiru felt the same.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello, hello! School is ending soon so I'm not sure how the updating schedule will look. Just bear with me for right now and I promise to keep updated as quick as I can. I'm sure you are all waiting for fluff… it's coming. Read, review, enjoy! Much love.

Six weeks had officially passed since Haruka came home after her accident. This also meant that about one month had passed since said woman realized she couldn't push down what she felt for Michiru. It was in that one-month Haruka desperately tried to distance herself from the younger woman to no avail. Haruka quickly discovered it was hard avoiding someone when you lived with them and couldn't go to work due to the fact everyone thought she was still healing.

Currently it had been five hours 37 minutes and 29 seconds since Michiru had sat down to begin a painting- not that Haruka was counting, but _good lord _could that woman lose track of time when she had a blank canvas. Haruka was watching her through the living room window as she painted the Tokyo skyline. Their shared porch had more or less become a makeshift studio for Michiru.

Past Haruka and present Haruka had always enjoyed watching Michiru in her element, whether it was playing the violin, painting, or swimming. There was something about the way the younger woman would be so enthralled with what she was doing. To Haruka it felt like there wasn't a damn thing on this planet Michiru couldn't do well. "I can feel you watching me over my shoulder, Haruka." Michiru called over her shoulder.

"I absolutely was not!" Haruka argued back, a bit embarrassed by being caught so quickly. "I was just comparing your painting to the skyline."

"Ah, so you admit you were watching me, neh?" Michiru teased back. "Come join me. I do enjoy the company." Well, Haruka wasn't going to argue with that invitation. She eagerly jumped up from her spot on the couch and went to stand beside Michiru.

"I think that building is a bit smaller than what you painted." Haruka pointed at a spot on the canvas. Michiru playfully slapped her hand away.

"And I think you should leave the critiques to the critics." Michiru huffed back, but both women couldn't hide the smile tugging at their lips.

To Haruka, all of this felt natural. Having Michiru stay with, the back and forth teasing, and the general routine both of them seemed to fall into. For once the blonde felt that her apartment was alive. Nothing had changed except for the addition of Michiru back into her life. The wounds Haruka once bore from the younger woman were slowly healing.

Something about the way Michiru was right now struck Haruka. The way her fingers skillfully grasped her paintbrush and made graceful strokes across the canvas. The way her eyes flicked back and forth between her canvas and the skyline taking in the most miniscule of details. The way the breeze ruffled her aqua hair, but somehow it didn't lose its perfect look.

"Let me take you to dinner." The words had already spilled out of Haruka's mouth before she had a chance to stop them.

"Dinner?" Michiru's voice carried a bit of a surprised tone. This definitely wasn't part of the routine they had made.

"You know, as a thank you for taking care of me while I was injured." She added on quickly.

"Ah yes, no need to thank me but I'll surely take you up on the offer." For a moment, Haruka could have sworn that Michiru sounded a bit… disappointed? Some sort of hope flared inside her as she went through a long list of what that disappointment could actually mean.

"I just have to make a phone call, but we can go whenever you're ready." Haruka could feel something gnawing at the bottom of her stomach. Truthfully, she wanted to spend time with Michiru outside of the apartment, dare she say take her on a date, but a wall of nerves was stopping her. Labelling it as a "thank you" dinner made it much easier for her to handle.

"I won't be longer than half an hour." Michiru promised and as if to prove her point began packing up her paint supplies. Haruka went straight back inside and practically slammed her bedroom door shut behind her. Fumbling around she pulled her cell phone out until she found the contact she was looking for.

Haruka paced anxiously back and forth as the phone rang and rang. She was praying that the person would pick up, otherwise the plan she had in mind would fall through. Finally, the line connected.

"Hey! It's me, Haruka…. I have a last second favor to ask and I understand if it doesn't work…. I wanted to take Michiru out as a thank you for taking care of me…. Well no it's not a date…. Okay well it's not an _official_ date… I just wanted to know if we could have a private area reserved… it's NOT a date…. Fine a private area reserved _for my date_, happy?... Thank you, and I owe you one."

The blonde flipped her phone shut and fell back onto her bed. Of course, the person on the other line would give her a bit of a hard time, but Haruka didn't blame them. She was asking for a pretty big favor at the last second.

For their date that wasn't a date, Haruka had a hard time picking out what to wear. After several back and forth trips between the mirror and closet she had finally settled on an outfit. Haruka ran one hand through her hair as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had chosen tan slacks and matching blazer along with a fitted black shirt. Simple, yet slightly higher end than what Haruka usually wore.

"Okay, I'm ready." Michiru called from the living room. Haruka didn't realize it had taken her that long to decide on an outfit.

"Coming!" she called back while shoving the rejected outfits back in her closet. Taking one more deep breath Haruka grabbed her keys and walked back into the living room. In many cultures it was rude to stare, but it would have taken a lot of effort to tear Haruka's gaze from Michiru.

The younger woman had chosen a strapless baby pink dress that stopped right above her knees. Wrapped around her shoulders was a white shawl with matching white heels that brought her almost to the same height as Haruka. The lightest hints of makeup graced her face and somehow made her eyes pop even more.

"You look amazing." Haruka finally managed to get out. She sneakily wiped her now very sweaty palms on her pant leg. It was such a simple statement for something much more than simple, but Haruka's mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"And you look handsome." Michiru smiled back. She stepped forward and wrapped her hands around Haruka's arm, an action that was becoming almost instinctive by now whenever they went out. "Shall we go?" Haruka nodded and off they went.

The pair walked down to Haruka's car. Where they were going wasn't too far but Haruka still felt like driving. It had been way too long since she had been behind the wheel casually or professionally. An added bonus was the fact she could be focused on driving instead of Michiru.

Per usual, the drive was silent but comfortable. The silence seemed even _more_ comfortable than normal, and Haruka guessed that it had to do with their extended amount of time together in the apartment. It was truly a nice change of events if you don't count the injury.

Haruka pulled in front of a small restaurant. It was nothing fancy on the outside, but she knew she could trust the person putting everything together for them. "Well, this is it." Haruka said as she opened the door for Michiru. "They serve French food here. I thought it would be a good change."

They walked inside and were greeted with a quaint setting of red velvet flooring and beige colored walls. There were a few patrons seated around the restaurant at matching wooden tables and chairs. A candle was in place at each table which allowed for a very dimly lit but comfortable lighting. Haruka walked straight up to the hostess in the front and out of earshot from Michiru.

"I made reservations with the chef earlier. For Tenoh. Tenoh Haruka." The hostess nodded and began to walk towards where they would be sitting. Haruka signaled for Michiru to follow, and so she did. There was obvious puzzlement when the hostess led them all the way through the main dining area and into a private back room.

"This will be your table and the chef will be with you momentarily. Enjoy your meal." The hostess dipped her head and scurried off back to the front, leaving the pair alone. Haruka took this opportunity to pull Michiru's chair back for her.

"Someone is being quite the gentleman this evening." Michiru stated as she sat down. The faintest hint of a smirk played at her face, but she seemed too enthralled by the restaurant to begin another banter session. Haruka sat down in her own chair across from the younger woman.

"You know how I am in front of beautiful women." The words came out way too easily. Haruka was worried for a moment that she was flirting a bit too heavily. Her worriedness went away when she realized Michiru's cheeks had the slightest tinge of pink to them.

"I know you say that to all the girls." Michiru retorted, but this time she couldn't hide the smile on her face. "It's safe to assume this is the phone call you made earlier?"

"Let's just say I know one of the chefs." Haruka shrugged like it was no big deal, but she was rather impressed with their current setup. The decorations were similar to the main area, but they were in a completely private space. Combined with the dim lighting, it felt much more intimate than any public space would be.

"Dare I ask who the chef is?" Michiru ventured on. Haruka was about to answer that she would probably find out shortly when another person walked into their room.

"Good evening ladies! As you already know my name is Makoto Kino and I'll be your server and chef this evening!" The teenager donned black slacks with a tucked in white shirt and white apron tied around her waist. She also sported a signature chef's hat, but somehow managed to keep sporting a ponytail.

"Thank you for doing all of this for us Makoto. We both really appreciate." Haruka said and Michiru nodded with her.

"I had no idea you were working in a restaurant. Congratulations!" Of course, Michiru had no idea Makoto had gotten a job at a restaurant because it had happened while she was gone. Haruka used this to her advantage- if Michiru had known there was a chance she would've seen right through her plan. It was no shock to anyone once Makoto landed this job since she had always been so incredible in the kitchen.

"Thank you, Michiru. I'm just a chef in training at the moment more than anything, but it's a great learning experience!" Makoto beamed. "It's nice to see you two together again." Haruka didn't know what the teenager meant by the last comment, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.

At this moment another waitress entered the room with a bottle of wine. "For starters, I have one of our best bottles of wine coming directly from France itself. This Chateau Haut Brion Cabernet Sauvignon pairs well with our house made breads." The waitress brought back a small basket with bread so fresh Haruka could see the steam rising from it. Makoto poured both of them half a glassful and left the bottle on the table.

"Thank you, that sounds amazing. And the bread looks really good." Haruka said genuinely.

"If you haven't noticed yet there are no menus, and that's because I'm taking care of everything tonight. Enjoy your starter and I'll begin preparing your food." Before either of the older women could respond Makoto and the waitress left the room leaving them alone again. Michiru sipped a bit of the wine and looked over the rim of her glass at Haruka.

"I guess I missed quite a bit while I was gone." Michiru stated flatly. Haruka grabbed a bit of the bread and took a larger than normal bite. Her full mouth gave her a chance to think before responding right away. Truthfully, she had missed quite a bit, but the topic had been so touchy for a while that neither one of them had the guts to bring it up.

"I could tell you if you'd like." Haruka swallowed her piece of bread. While she had never been extremely close to any of the inners, partnering with Minako meant that Haruka always had a constant influx of information on what was going on in their lives. Michiru settled back into her seat and looked at the older woman expectantly.

"I'd love to hear it." So, Haruka dove into the lives of their fellow senshi for the next handful of minutes. Setsuna was still working in her research lab but had a fashion business on the side that was beginning to take off. Hotaru now attended the same high school as the other inners besides Rei who had graduated the year prior. Usagi was surprisingly passing most of her classes while Ami studied day and night in hopes to get into medical school. Makoto was obviously working here and Minako worked for Haruka.

It wasn't until she finished telling Michiru what everyone was up to that Haruka realized how long two years really was. With Michiru right in front of her it was so easy to be blinded by the familiarity. Through the entire time the younger woman just sat with an unwavering smile on her face. "It seems everyone has grown up a bit." she finally said without any hint of emotion.

"And it seems you've plateaued." Haruka joked but immediately tried to retract the statement once she noticed Michiru's smile faltered. "I mean, now you're just one step closer to Crystal Tokyo than the rest of us." she added lightly, but to her dismay Michiru's face only fell further. A flash of anger swept across her blue eyes, and Haruka recognized that the anger stemmed entirely from Neptune.

"Regardless of what happened to me, there is another shift coming. If you've failed to remember, Uranus was the next to awaken after Neptune, so you might be next." Haruka had to admit that she didn't think of this. Becoming Eternal Sailor Uranus, hell- becoming _immortal_ wasn't something that necessarily crossed her mind on a daily basis. Michiru took another sip of wine and Haruka followed her action, although she finished her glass in one swig.

While Haruka was trying to come up with a decent response Makoto chose the perfect time to come back in with their meals. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but dinner is served! I've prepared Ratatouille that originates from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.I've also included Salade niçoise__to compliment the main course." The tense atmosphere that had begun to develop between the pair of women was quickly dissolved upon the arrival of the younger woman. Haruka sent out a silent to prayer to whoever was looking out for her because an argument was definitely not what she had in mind for their outing.

"This looks incredible, thank you." Michiru smiled at Makoto who looked happy just to be serving them their food.

"I tried my best! I'll be back later to check up on you two!" Haruka quickly tapped Makoto on the leg. While Michiru was examining her food, she slipped the chef her credit card. Makoto gave her a knowing wink and with that they were left alone again. Haruka poured herself another glass of wine and topped Michiru's off before she dove into the food.

"Is part of your plan tonight to get me tipsy?" Michiru chastised the older woman. Haruka shook her head and playfully rolled her eyes.

"Like I said, it's just a thank you. You have to admit it's good wine, though." Haruka raised her glass, gesturing for Michiru to join her in a toast. The younger woman obliged, and her glass quickly joined the other in the air. "To our futures and Crystal Tokyo, wherever they may lead us. I'm sure we'll be _eternally_ grateful." she purposefully emphasized the word before clinking their glasses together. Thankfully Michiru didn't seem to mind the joke this time and both women took a sip of their wine.

Talking was sparse after that as both women dug into their meals. Haruka had travelled to many parts of the world due to her racing and she had an ongoing theory that the harder it was to pronounce a dish, the tastier it was. This food was no exception to that theory.

While Haruka was managing to keep herself calm on the outside, the comment Michiru had made earlier gnawed uncomfortably at her insides. _Was_ there a chance that Uranus would permanently awaken soon? It seemed to be plausible- out of the glances of the future they had gotten, everyone looked to be around the same ages they were right now.

The future seemed closer than ever now. When Neptune first found Uranus, it was because of an existing eminent threat to Sailor Moon. Their awakening was premature simply because threats like that weren't supposed to exist yet. But, living in a linear timeline caused constant shifts of what was supposed to happen. Could there be a new threat to their princess that caused this shift?

Haruka had more questions than she did answers, so she turned back to her wine glass. Michiru cast her a confused glance as the blonde was drinking much more than she typically did while having a celebration. "We're celebrating." she shrugged and finished her second glass. When she reached out for the bottle Michiru grabbed her wrist.

"And you're driving home." There was just enough force in her tone and grip that Haruka knew this wasn't something Michiru would budge on. She begrudgingly went back to eating her food. Both women finished their food around the same time. Right when Haruka placed her fork down Makoto swooped in as if she had been waiting for them to finish.

"So, did you like it?" The teenager asked them. There was no denying how eager Makoto looked for their feedback.

"I thought it was absolutely delightful." said Michiru.

"If you're ever looking for a job as a personal chef, give me a call." Haruka joked. Makoto looked like she was about to burst from how big her smile was. "But seriously Makoto, the food was amazing if you couldn't tell by our empty dishes. I'm only half joking about the personal chef."

"Does that mean you'd like to stay for dessert?" Truthfully, Haruka hadn't thought about dessert. As much as she wanted to eat more of whatever French dessert the young chef could come up with, she was absolutely stuffed.

"I think I speak for both Haruka and I when I say that we are absolutely stuffed." Michiru piped up from her seat. Even though the action was small, Haruka was surprised that the other woman could still tell how she felt. For a second, she wondered if their bond wasn't as broken as Haruka previously thought it was.

"Well the offer is always open! It was nice seeing you both. Have a great evening!" Makoto whisked away their empty plates and glasses and left them alone in the room once more. Michiru raised an eyebrow at Haruka.

"Let me guess, you already paid?" she asked the blonde who already cracked a smile before the question was even out of Michiru's mouth.

"I knew you would try and pay for _something,_ so I slipped Makoto my card earlier. I told you I wanted to take care of everything." Haruka got up from her seat and waited by Michiru's seat for her to stand. They walked hand in arm out of the restaurant and straight to Haruka's car where the older woman opened the passenger door for her.

"And they say chivalry is dead." Michiru stated as she climbed into the car. Haruka couldn't help but smile to herself after she heard that comment.

"I'm not sure who 'they' are, but apparently they've never met Haruka Tenoh." the blonde said getting into the driver's seat. Michiru giggled and locked her eyes on Haruka's.

"I guess they haven't." Maybe it was the watchful eyes or the sincerity in everything that Michiru was saying, but after that comment Haruka's nerves really kicked in. She felt like she was behind the wheel for the first time. The woman's hands were practically shaking as they held onto the steering wheel and she prayed that Michiru wouldn't notice.

Time seemed to stretch out as the drive home seemed much longer than it was to get there even though there was no traffic. Haruka's mind was going a million miles an hour. Countless ideas of what could be going on through Michiru's mind were giving her second thoughts about tonight.

Was she coming on too strong? Sure, they kissed almost the first time they were alone together, but that was two months ago. Yes, they had almost kissed a couple more times since then, but almost didn't count for anything. Haruka knew that Michiru meant well by her chivalry comment, but was she trying to be flirty or _flirty_?

These kinds of thoughts made Haruka feel like she was a teenager again. It reminded her of the first time she fell in love with Michiru. When she first fell it was quick, like being pushed off a cliff, but Michiru was there to catch her. Now Haruka was teetering at the edge of whatever this was but refusing to take the leap.

Moments later Haruka realized that they were already approaching the apartment building. Familiar drives sometimes put her body into an autopilot mode, so this didn't surprise her as much as it should have. She found a decent parking spot and opened the door for Michiru like she had at the restaurant. There walk into the building was silent until they reached the elevator.

"Thanks for the date." Michiru deadpanned as the elevator started moving upwards. Haruka scoffed at the comment and the bluntness it had been delivered with.

"Who said anything about a date?" Haruka rolled her eyes. The doors opened and she began walking towards her apartment a bit quicker than usual. Michiru was only a step behind her.

"Well, you were very chivalrous all evening long." Michiru pointed out. Haruka opened the front door.

"It's just being polite, Michiru." They both crossed over the threshold and into the apartment.

"You also paid for my meal and made sure I couldn't do anything about it." Haruka sighed and shut the door behind her. Michiru walked into the living room and leaned against the counter, waiting for the argument she knew would continue from the older girl.

"It was as a thank you! You know, for taking care of me."

"If you say thank you to everyone by buying ¥33,000 bottles of wine, I bet people do favors for you all the time." This comment really caught Haruka off guard. Of course, _she_ knew what the price was, but she didn't think this was a fact Michiru would catch onto. "My dear Haruka, did you forget I grew up as a Kaioh? Of course, I would know about high end imported wines."

"I just thought you would enjoy it." Haruka continued their argument, though neither of them was truly being heinous with one another. Michiru's eyes sparkled with mischievousness as she continued. That paired with the smirk on her face and they lax way she leaned against the counter, Haruka could tell she was having fun with this.

"I did enjoy our _outing_." Michiru emphasized the last word with her tone and an eyeroll. Haruka leaned up against the wall just to give herself a bit of distance between her and the other woman. Of course, this didn't last long as Michiru took a few slow steps towards her. "It's too bad it wasn't a date though. I had something I wanted to give you."

"Oh, and what's that?" Haruka decided to play along with whatever game Michiru had in mind. She only began to regret it when the space between them started to close more and more as the woman walked closer to her. Michiru finally stopped, albeit she was practically pressing her body into Haruka's.

"What I give all of my date." The miniscule amount of distance between them was closed as Haruka felt a pair of lips claim her own. Due to Michiru being in heels they were at the perfect height for each other. There was no hesitation as Haruka kissed her back and moved her hands to her waist.

Just as quickly as it started, the kiss was over. Michiru had pulled herself back but Haruka didn't let her hands stray from their place. "One kiss is all I get for a ¥33,000 bottle of wine?" Haruka feigned a pout and that seemed to work greatly to her advantage. Michiru's eyes darkened for a second before they both leaned back into each other.

Haruka had missed the feeling of Michiru's lips on hers. They moved together in perfect time; a rhythm that had been created years ago when they first met. To Haruka kissing Michiru was just like riding a bike- you could stop for a long time, but you would never forget. When Michiru dragged her tongue across her bottom lip Haruka was brought back into present time.

Their tongues fought for dominance in an ongoing battle. Right when it seemed that Haruka was going to win, Michiru started to trail kisses away from her mouth and towards her ear. "Was that satisfactory?" the younger woman whispered into her ear. Michiru softly bit her earlobe and the feeling went straight to a spot between Haruka's legs.

"Maybe I should take you on dates more often." Haruka breathed out. When Michiru looked at her, the darkness in her eyes had returned. It was clear by their heavy breathing and flushed faces they were both feeling the heat of the moment. Haruka quickly used the lack of anything happening to her advantage. In one quick movement she had successfully swept her arms underneath Michiru and picked her up.

"Haruka! Put me down!" Michiru yelled, but she couldn't stop the giggles from escaping her mouth. Haruka smiled at her. She walked towards her bedroom and with a bit of maneuvering managed to get the door open. Ignoring Michiru's protests, it was pretty easy since they were mostly laughter, Haruka gently put her down on the bed.

"You didn't tell me where to put you down." Haruka played innocent. Michiru sat up and ran her hands over her dress to smooth out the fabric.

"Unfortunately for you I don't sleep with my dates after only one. It's not the Kaioh way." Michiru said this very seriously, and for a second Haruka thought that she had done something wrong. It only dawned on her the younger woman was messing with her when her previous giggles restarted.

"Don't mess with me like that, Michi! You know I'll believe you!" she took a seat on the bed so their bodies were parallel to one another. "And just so you know, I wasn't trying to sleep with you." Michiru turned onto her side so her body was facing Haruka and the latter followed suit. "These past few weeks with you have been nice, and I feel like-"

Michiru cut Haruka off with a chaste kiss. It was nothing else but to get the blonde to stop talking, but it was a very effective method. "I know, Haruka. It's late and I say we discuss this in the morning while our mouths aren't being controlled by hormones." Haruka couldn't do anything but shake her head in agreement.

In a few short minutes Michiru had seemed to make herself quite comfy in Haruka's room. She had traded her dress for one of the racers t-shirts, and she appreciated the way it hung over Michiru's body. Haruka traded her own clothes for a similar shirt and boxers. They laid on opposite sides of the bed with an almost awkward amount of space between them.

Haruka shifted over just enough where the movement caught Michiru's eye. "You can, uh, you know, come closer if you want. Or you can stay on that side of the bed! It's whatever you want." she rambled on nervously. Michiru just smiled and moved closer until she was pressed backwards into Haruka.

If someone had asked Haruka two months ago what she would be doing right now, she certainly wouldn't have said snuggling with her ex-girlfriend. _Ex-girlfriend. That stings a bit_. Haruka thought to herself. Technically they had never officially broken up, but when someone leaves for upwards of two years, it seemed to be a given. And _technically_ they had been cuddling almost every night the past few weeks but cuddling on her bed seemed much more intimate than the couch.

A quiet lull in Michiru's breathing gave away that she had already drifted off into sleep. Haruka let out a sigh she hadn't known she was holding in and closed her eyes. Earlier this evening she had been looking down the face of the cliff she was too scared to jump off, but now the jump felt inevitable, and it would definitely hurt if Michiru wasn't there to catch her.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since the last update. Work is crazy, life is crazy, etc. Lots of stuff going on! Haruka just needs a bro right about now. Hope y'all like this chapter and as always read, review, and enjoy :)

For the first time in a while Haruka woke up cold. The body that had been pressed up against her all evening was now gone. Haruka wondered if it had all been a dream, but the smell of Michiru tangled in with the sheets told a different story. A quick look around her room also showed that the shirt the younger woman had fallen asleep in was folded neatly on the dresser.

_Okay, so it wasn't a dream. But where did she go?_ Haruka sat up and yawned loudly. The lack of light in the room alluded it was early in the morning, yet her bedside clock read 9:47. "Must be a storm coming in." Haruka stated blandly.

The woman finally climbed out of her bed and walked into the living room. Haruka noted the grey clouds covering the sky throughout the main window confirming her earlier suspicion. After living alone for so long Haruka had become adept at telling if someone else was in her apartment. Hotaru was known for playing pranks on the blonde as she had a spare key, but for now the apartment felt just as it had for many months before. Empty.

There was no need for Haruka to even try and look for Michiru- it was clear no one was there. In fact, if it wasn't for the shirt she left and lingering smell, Haruka could have sworn that the younger woman had never been in her apartment at all.

Haruka brewed herself a cup of tea and sat on the balcony to watch the impending storm. Only a few years ago, the blonde would have been on edge with every storm. There was always the possibility that the storm was of enemy origin. Now she took pleasure in things such as this, knowing that there wasn't any impending danger laced within these clouds.

Clouds of worry began to form thicker than the darkening clouds overhead. Haruka stiffly sipped her tea as her mind jumped from idea to idea about where the younger woman had disappeared to. Had this become too much for her? Did Michiru have a higher calling now that she was, well _immortal_ of all things? Was Haruka just overreacting to the situation?

Michiru had obviously left on her own accord seeing as how the shirt had been placed. What Haruka yearned for was the answer of _why_ she had done that. A loud roll of thunder followed by a flash of lightning snapped Haruka out of her thoughts. It was as if Mother Nature itself was trying to keep the blonde from worrying herself.

"Yea, fat chance of that." Haruka muttered out loud. She placed the cup of tea to her lips and was about to take another sip when a sharp gust of wind nearly moved Haruka from where she was sitting.

_Stop thinking so negatively_. It took everything in Haruka to not drop the cup. Of all things to happen, Haruka didn't expect the whispers of the wind to greet her today.

"What, can you read minds now?" The blonde retorted. If anything, arguing with the wind would just pass more time for Haruka, and now she wasn't _completely_ alone.

_No I can't, but it is apparent in your body language that you're upset. Might I guess what it is?_

Haruka rolled her eyes at this response. "I think you already know. You only seem to show up when she's involved anyways." While the connection was a sudden one, Haruka realized it was true. Whoever, or whatever, this voice belonged to only seemed to come forth when Michiru was involved. "Are you some divine force of the universe or something? Or just something that likes to play matchmaker?"

_I guess you could say I'm a bit of both._ This answer surprised Haruka a bit. She figured that this force would have gotten a bit upset at the way it was just spoken to, but apparently not. _I know where your future lies as well as hers. Your paths have crossed and diverged many times before. I'm only here to make sure you don't diverge them for good._

With the last comment, Haruka was about to boil over in a fit of rage. "To make sure _I_ don't diverge them for good?" She jumped out of her chair and spun around as if trying to catch a glimpse of the invisible voice. "Why don't you tell that to the girl who left for two years! She seems to be a hell of a better candidate for diverging paths than I am."

Another roll of thunder brought forth a torrent of rain. It was as if the storm released in time with the build up of Haruka's emotions. The wind had become angrier, but it wasn't the same as the force communicating with Haruka. The calmness in the voice didn't match the wind from the storm. _I understand why you feel that way, but trust me when I say that you have the power to do the same._

"As if I would ever hurt her that bad!" Haruka yelled. Her words seemed to be swallowed up by the raging weather. Rain pelted her in the face and mixed with the angry tears falling down her cheeks that Haruka didn't know how to stop. It was impossible for Haruka to fight an enemy that wasn't there, and she still wasn't sure if this voice was an enemy. As the soldier of the wind the woman found it hard to believe a malevolent force could be behind the voice.

_Hurting her is always an option before you fully accept her. She has changed, but you must realize that the change was necessary. When you accept that you two will have all the time in the world._ The storm continued outside, but the presence behind the voice faded with the last word.

"You think I don't accept her?" Haruka angrily yelled in hopes that the wind would carry her words to whoever was behind the voice. But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that those words were very important not only to her individual future, but to her future with Michiru.

There was admosity when it came to accepting that Michiru became Eternal Sailor Neptune. It was hard for Haruka to grasp the concept that with every passing second her biological clock was ticking, but Michiru's had stopped. When Usagi had become Eternal Sailor Moon it hadn't bothered anyone because everyone knew it was going to happen. This was something unseen and Haruka didn't appreciate surprises.

Of course Haruka accepted Michiru, but part of her had never accepted all of the senshi life. It always felt weird to be fighting for their planet- like a comic book come to life. Even when Uranus and Neptune first appeared Luna had remarked how she never expected them to come. Haruka knew that she needed to talk to someone sensible. She mentally made a note of everyone she could go and talk to, not only about Michiru but about love. Specifically, this _very_ complicated love.

_I could go to Ami, _ Haruka began to think to herself, _but she doesn't really do love. Of course I already brought Makoto into this one way, so it would be selfish of me to talk to her again. Usagi is too emotional, it'd be _way_ too weird to talk to Mamoru, and Chibiusa is too young._ The blonde made her way back inside her bedroom to change her damp clothes.

_Hotaru is young but honestly could offer sound advice… no she's too biased in this situation. Setsuna would probably be biased as well. Minako would tell the whole damn town. Luna might end up lecturing me about my senshi duties and Artemis… that's just a no._ Haruka buttoned up her shirt and grabbed a motorcycle helmet and her keys before racing out of her building.

There was no time to wait for the elevator as the blonde was now running on pure adrenaline from what she would refer to as a brilliant idea."I gotta go talk to Rei." That's how Haruka ended up on her motorcycle in the middle of one of the worst downpours she'd seen in a while. It made a lot of sense to go talk to the partly-psychic-almost-priestess of the Hikawa shrine. Haruka just hoped she wouldn't interrupt the girl while doing something important.

It wasn't a leisurely drive, but the blonde persevered. A few minutes later she had parked her bike outside of the shrine and practically took the steps two at a time to get to the top. "For being a soldier of the wind, you've been quite noisy lately." Right as Haruka crossed the threshold into the shrine Rei's voice greeted her.

"You're perceptive as always." Haruka said, narrowing her eyes at the other girl. She could count on one hand how many people could take a jab at her without any consequences, and Rei was not on that list. Truth be told the two weren't exceptionally close, but they had a few conversations before that made Haruka aware Rei was probably the smartest out of the inner senshi.

"Tch, don't get so aggressive already. This is a shrine after all." Rei was currently sweeping the front room and as she turned with the broom Haruka noticed a smirk gracing her features. The two had very similar, fiery personalities, so the older woman knew if she didn't get the conversation rolling they would be going back and forth all day.

"Would it be too cliche to ask if you were expecting my arrival?" Haruka ventured. Rei rolled her eyes as she put the broom away.

"Just as cliche as it would be to answer with I knew something would bring you here eventually." Rei finally turned around and gave Haruka a look that was a cross between amused and annoyed. "I just cleaned this room and you come in here dripping like a wet dog!" Haruka looked down and finally noticed that her fresh clothes were once again soaking wet and clinging to her skin. On top of that a small puddle of water was forming around her feet as water dripped off of her hair and clothes.

"Oh, sorry about that." Haruka said sheepishly. Rei just sighed and grabbed the other girl by the crook of her elbow. The dark haired girl led them to her bedroom where she gave Haruka a fresh set of robes.

"Change into these." There was no room for argument as Rei stepped out of the room to give Haruka privacy. Though the girls shared different stature, the robes still fit Haruka nicely. She bundled up her wet clothes into a ball and placed them in the corner of the bedroom.

"I'm all changed." Haruka called out to alert Rei she could come back into the room.

"I know you and Michiru are two of the most poised people I've ever met, but sometimes your manners rival with Usagi's." Although Rei was joking, Haruka was glad she had brought up Michiru and Usagi. This was the perfect segway into the reason the blonde had driven over to talk to Rei.

"Coincidently, I came over to talk to you about those two. I guess I need some advice." For a moment Rei was taken aback by what Haruka said. It wasn't like any of the outer senshi to come talk to the inners about advice on anything- it was typically the other way around.

"About Michiru and…. Usagi?" The younger girl stiffened a bit as she said the last name. It was no secret to Haruka that Rei and Usagi had a sort of awkward history between each other, and it wasn't just because the former had dated Mamoru first. "That's quite a pair to put together."

"I know it seems weird, but I really didn't know who else to talk to. You seem to have a bit more, uh, experience when it comes to my problem." Rei let out a full blown laugh at this comment.

"Whatever you came here to talk to me about must be quite the predicament. Let's go sit down." With that, Rei was off leaving Haruka to follow. The blonde found herself being led to a small room with a table in the center and mats on the floor. "This is where we all used to study together." The younger girl noted as Haruka sat down.

Attending a different school all together, Haruka and Michiru had never studied with the younger girls. Their lives had been so separate yet connected by the same planetary bond, it made Haruka a little bit happy to see part of their past slice of life. "I've always admired you Haruka, but I feel like I'm not your first choice to ask advice. Why come to me and not Setsuna? Aren't you two closer?"

"You're right, Setsuna and I are much closer, but this deals with something that I know she won't discuss with me." Haruka's eyes cast to the side as she continued to talk. "I have a question to ask you and it's a bit invasive, so please excuse me." Haruka made eye contact with Rei as if to silently ask if she could ask the question.

Rei had a stoic expression on her face. Haruka recognized this as apart of the threatening personality the younger girl was known for, but she still nodded which allowed Haruka to continue. "How did you cope when you found out the person that you loved reached their Eternal form and stopped aging, but you didn't?"

As the last bit of the question made its way to Rei's ears, she completely sat still. Thick tension surrounded both girls as Haruka waited for a response and braced herself for the worst. She figured asking about something so private would set the younger girl off. "Of course you'd ask about that."

The reaction Rei gave was not something Haruka expected. Rei closed her eyes as if reaching into her past memories and her lips formed a somber smile. "It's a blessing and a curse you know. I realize that she can't get physically hurt, but I also realize that there's a time where I can continue aging without her. I might not be able to keep up."

Thunder shook the shrine as if the weather was trying to sympathize with what the shrine maiden was saying. "If the future goes according to plan I'll someday be on the same path, but if it doesn't… I wouldn't blame her if I got left behind." Rei quickly turned her hand and brought her hand up to her face. Although she tried to hide it, Haruka could tell she was wiping away a tear.

"I'm sorry if this is a tough subject for you." Haruka began to apologize but Rei raised her hand to stop her.

"Don't worry. I can tell you need someone who has had a similar experience to yours, so I might as well tell you my side of things." Rei paused for a moment. "Although, I do have to admit I'm not sure what this particular topic has to do with Michiru." Now it was Haruka's turn to outpour her emotions. It was clear this was a sensitive topic to both girls, but the blonde knew she had to go all out with her feelings just as Rei did.

"While Michiru took her absence she reached the stage of Eternal Sailor Neptune. As you said with Usagi, I'm afraid of being left behind." The younger girls mood did a complete 180 as Haruka revealed what happened with Michiru.

"Eternal Sailor Neptune? You're sure about this?" Haruka nodded fervently. "And you're worried about it?"

"Well, that's kind of the reason I came here…" the older woman trailed off not quite understanding where Rei was going with this.

"That's great news, Haruka. It means that there is hope for all of us. For all of us to reach that stage as well." Rei was practically beaming at the news of this, but her eyes still reflected the inner sadness she had.

"Hope?" Haruka asked skeptically. "That's the last word I picture when thinking about…. this." The blonde muttered the comment under her breath, mostly for herself rather than Rei.

"If there's one thing our princess taught me, it's to always remain optimistic. Since someone besides Sailor Moon reached their eternal phase, how does that not give you hope?" Haruka knew Rei meant this as a rhetorical question but it didn't stop her brain from reaching out to possible answers. "We finally have proof that it _is_ possible to reach that stage. Did you ever doubt our future?"

That question was meant seriously, and Haruka had in fact doubted their future many times. Talks of Crystal Tokyo, a Utopia that they were the protectors of, a life of relative peace- after everything they went through, it only seemed too good to be true. Even the words of Sailor Pluto, Chibiusa, and Diana had never truly soothed Haruka's thoughts of a future. It had been all too easy to switch timelines before. "You can say that." Haruka finally responded.

"I doubted it as well, even with all the proof that had been brought forth. All of the nightmares I had… I could never let those images go." Haruka nodded, urging Rei to continue. It was no secret that when her destiny was first calling she had nightmares of her own. The scenes had scarred her for life just the same as they did to Rei. "Eternal Sailor Neptune is just another step in the direction of the future we were promised."

While Rei seemed satisfied with her own explanation, there were still questions banging around in Haruka's head. "But what do we do in the meantime?" Even for being her own question it sounded too vague for Haruka. "I mean, while waiting to reach that stage ourselves. What do we do?" Rei sighed and dropped her shoulders.

"As much as I would like to answer that, I don't know. For me, I'm going to keep living my life the same as always. I know our time will come one day. I've meditated about this many times and asked for answers, but the future is changing so often that I've never gotten a clear response." Another sigh escaped from the raven haired girl. "Only time will tell at this point."

Haruka let out a sigh of her own. "I understand. Thank you for all of your help." She began to stand up when Rei signaled for her to sit back down.

"It's still raining outside. You're welcome to stay for a while." Haruka could still hear the rain falling on the roof of the shrine. It was much lighter than earlier, but still coming down at a decent rate. "I doubt we'll have many visitors today thanks to the weather, so there's really not that much for me to do."

Haruka weighed her options of staying at the shrine or going home. On one hand, there was a very slim chance that Michiru had actually made her way back to the apartment. Haruka had only been gone for a little over an hour and she had no idea what time the other girl had actually left. On the other hand, Michiru could in fact be back at the apartment. The blonde doubted the last one was true. "If I'm truly not imposing I wouldn't mind staying a bit."

"If you were imposing I would have turned you away at the door. Would you like some tea?" Haruka nodded and Rei left the room for a moment before returning with a tea kettle and cups. The next few hours were filled with tea, laughs, and serious conversation. Both girls found that they could hold a meaningful dialogue between one another. They seemed to talk about everything but the subject that brought them together in the first place.

After so many months, it seemed that Haruka had finally found someone she could talk to. There was no bias or age barrier that made Rei a lesser candidate, which is something Haruka appreciated immensely. Finally they seemed to run out of things to talk about and a comfortable silence overtook them.

"You know, I think it's finally stopped raining." Rei noted. Haruka stood up again and this time the younger girl didn't stop her.

"I think that's my cue to start heading back home. Thank you for talking to me about everything, and understanding where I was coming from." Haruka realized that she was still in the robes Rei leant her when she first arrived at the shrine. "Do you mind if I go change really quick?" Rei shook her head.

"Now that the weather cleared up it might be best. I'm sure we'll have a few stragglers visiting today." After Haruka changed the two said their goodbyes and parted ways. The steps leading back down to her motorcycle were borderline safety hazards after being drenched by the storm. Nearly tripping a few times, the blonde finally made it to the vehicle and began her drive home.

Anxiety gnawed away at Haruka as she drove home. Every time she saw a flash of blue in her peripheral vision she would crane her neck to see if it was Michiru. This only became a problem when she very narrowly avoided hitting a car in front of her as a sign with blue lettering caught her off guard. "Baka." She mumbled willing herself to focus on the road ahead of her.

The short drive seemed like an eternity, but Haruka finally made it back home. While she told herself many times not to get her hopes up anticipation was still growing in the pit of Haruka's stomach. There was no real reason for Michiru to be waiting for her upstairs, but there was also no real reason for her _not_ to be. This time Haruka opted for the elevator to go up, only to allow herself another 30 seconds to ease her nerves.

When the elevator dinged and opened its doors to Haruka's floor, she walked at a leisurely place to her door, but stopped right in front of it. "You're being a damn idiot. Psyching yourself up over nothing." Haruka muttered to herself. She unlocked the front door and stepped in to find the apartment the exact same way it was as she left it.

"Of course it's just me." Haruka removed her shoes and walked towards the living room, half expecting Michiru to be around the corner and just waiting to scare the living hell out of her. It was only wishful thinking though, as Haruka's initial analysis had been correct. Only a few hours had passed since Michiru left, but to the other woman it felt like the two years would start all over again.

_When the hell did I become this obsessive?_ Haruka thought to herself as she sat down on the couch. She flipped mindlessly through a few TV shows looking for nothing more than background noise to add to her thoughts. _It's just been a few hours. She'll come back eventually you know._ These thoughts only brought up painful memories of two years before.

_It had been a normal day as far as normal could be for the four senshi living under the same roof. While they had all assumed regular lives, it was hard to say if anything was truly "normal" for them. But, as the day went so far, there was nothing abnormal. _

_When Haruka awoke in the morning she found the usual sight of Michiru cuddling up against her. It was always comforting for Haruka to wake up next to the younger girl with no imminent threats looming in the distance. For once they could act like a normal couple in the most primal of ways such as waking up next to each other and eating breakfast together. It was nice._

"_Morning, beautiful." Haruka said in a sultry voice as she felt Michiru stirring next to her._

"_Hardly when I first wake up." Michiru replied only half-awake. Haruka smiled and pulled Michiru closer into her side._

"_You know you're always beautiful to me." Although Michiru was typically modest about compliments, Haruka could feel a smile creeping its way onto the other girls face as she nuzzled her shoulder._

"_Flirting so early in the morning, my dear Haruka how do you keep this up?" Both girls giggled at this before finally untangling themselves from each other. They made their way into the kitchen where the morning routine really began. With Haruka and Michiru having more a free-lance working schedule they always took it upon themselves to make breakfast. Hotaru had school and Setsuna worked a full-time job, so it only seemed fair._

_Soon enough morning tea had been brewed and a breakfast spread big enough to feed all four of them was ready. Setsuna and Hotaru joined them around the same time everything was prepared, both of them in their uniforms._

_Hotaru wasted no time before piling her plate high and digging in. "Good morning Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa! Setsuna-mama!" she said around a mouthful of toast._

"_Don't talk with your mouth full, firefly." Haruka chastised the young teenager. _

"_Sorry!" Hotaru apologized, this time around a mouthful of fruit. All three older women shared an amused glance. They ate the rest of their breakfast in comfortable silence before Hotaru took off to school and Setsuna to work. That left Haruka and Michiru alone, another typical occurrence in their routine._

"_You know Hotaru has been getting good marks lately on her tests. I was thinking about surprising her after school and taking her out for ice cream or something." Haruka made idle conversation as they cleaned up their mess from breakfast._

"_I think that's a great idea. With everything that has happened she has been doing quite well." Michiru agreed. After cleaning up everything Haruka went to go sit in the living room._

"_Care to join me?" She offered the other girl, but was met with a shake of the head._

"_I have some personal business I have to attend to today. I might be busy for a while." Haruka just smiled as Michiru disappeared back into their bedroom. It wasn't unusual for them to have something personal to take care of. With Michiru's violin career and her own personal racing career, they both had commitments to take care of._

_The morning came and went quickly and soon it was almost time for Hotaru to be let out of school. Haruka grabbed her keys, yelled out a quick goodbye to Michiru, and headed to pick the teenager up. _

_Of course Hotaru was thrilled to spend time with her 'Haruka-papa' all afternoon. It was nearing dinnertime as Haruka pulled her car into the driveway. Once they got inside Setsuna had already begun cooking dinner, but there was a presence in the house missing._

"_Where's Michiru-mama?" Hotaru asked and looked up at Haruka. Setsuna stopped what she was doing and looked up at Haruka as if wondering the same thing._

"_Michiru-mama told me this morning she had something very important to do today. I think we should leave her to it, hime-chan." Hotaru seemed satisfied with this answer, but Haruka exchanged a quick glance with Setsuna. It wasn't like Michiru to go off without telling someone, especially when she wasn't a skilled driver. _

_Throughout dinner Hotaru went on about how she loved her new school, but every passing minute of Michiru's absence was worrying Haruka. Later, Setsuna took Michiru's spot in helping Haruka wash the dishes. "Are you worried about her?" The older woman asked._

"_It's just been a few hours. She'll come back eventually you know."_

Haruka forced herself out of the flashback. Only minutes after that comment was when she discovered all of Michiru's stuff was gone. That was the moment her life had spiraled into a living hell, although her comment had been right. She did eventually come back, even if eventually turned into two years.

"No reason in worrying myself all over again." Haruka said, but she didn't even believe it as the words left her mouth. When Michiru left before, she was taking care of personal business, and there was a chance that similar circumstances would rise again. Haruka tried to settle back down into the couch, but she couldn't help but wonder if just like the tide, Michiru was destined to come and go.


End file.
